


Laid Up In Lavender

by AllMyShipss, Datmomfriend



Series: The Language Of Flowers [3]
Category: Lupin III
Genre: Break Up, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, Hanahaki dream sequence, M/M, Minor Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III, OCs used as plot devices, Outdoor Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Semi-sterotypical but positive portrayals of Roma gyspsies, Suits, disguises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-24 08:41:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 47,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21096608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllMyShipss/pseuds/AllMyShipss, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Datmomfriend/pseuds/Datmomfriend
Summary: It was August fourteenth (or technically it was already August fifteenth and had been for a few hours by now) and August fifteenth would mark a year since Lupin and Zenigata had become intimately intertwined. So when news had reached Lupin that, as a show of international goodwill, famed inspector Zenigata of Interpol would be called away to Madrid to organize and front the security detail for A Royal wedding that same weekend, Lupin made a solemn vow to himself that he would not be away from his beloved on their first anniversary.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As far as Lupin continuity is concerned, we take the Part Five approach where it's only canon once it's been brought up. In this story we make reference to:
> 
> • Lupin seeing Yata for the first time, as this vaguely takes place before the events of Part Five  
• The Fuma Conspiracy  
• Rebecca Rossellini & Lupin's marriage in Part Four
> 
> None of this is required viewing but a comprehensive guide never goes a miss.
> 
> If you'd like updates on the newest stories in the "Language Of Flowers" series or would like to share them or any of our other stories, links are posted on my tumblr. Please follow and reblog at allmyshipsareproblematic.tumblr.com

Lupin could see in his reflection in the glass of the display case and he looked positively covetous of the Royal quartet. Two violins, a viola and a cello, all authentic Stradivarius masterworks with ivory inlays and each one beautifully restored and maintained. Lupin knew that The Palacio Real de Madrid, the official residence of Spain's royal family, boasted a bevy of priceless _object d'art_, but he had not been expecting such an envious example after only just slipping in through the high round window of the Royal Chapel's domed ceiling. Lupin did his best to wipe the drool from his chin. He reminded himself he didn't have the means to take anything that he could not fit into his pockets this time around. The whole caper, and in all honesty Lupin and Jigen's entry into Spain, had been a spur of the moment decision.

It was August fourteenth (or technically it was already August fifteenth and had been for a few hours by now) and August fifteenth would mark a year since Lupin and Zenigata had become intimately intertwined. It was on August fifteenth after all that the pair of them had gone undercover as Mr. Lupine and Mr. Jonquil, master and bodyguard as well as ardent lovers, to close a case of human trafficking most foul. While it was sometime in the following two weeks that they had consummated their feelings, Lupin and Zenigata had decided that in all honesty, the love affair had begun that night.

So when news had reached Lupin that, as a show of international goodwill, famed inspector Zenigata of Interpol would be called away to Madrid to organize and front the security detail for the Royal wedding that was happening on Sunday the eighteenth, Lupin made a solemn vow to himself that he would not be away from his beloved on their first anniversary.

He had very casually driven the Fiat along the border separating Portugal from Spain, waxing to Jigen, hunched as impassively as ever in the passenger's seat, on how interesting it would be to be in Spain's capital during such a historic event. He went on about how it would help to bring the neighboring nations that much closer together as the groom, the son of a Portuguese Baron by the name of Rodrigo, would become prince to all of Spain and how unheard of it was for a nobleman of such relative low standing. It seemed Margarita, Princess of Asturias and heir presumptive to the throne was head over heels in love with Rodrigo and both families had blessed the union in a stunning upset of decorum. If they spent a few weeks in Madrid, it could be like a holiday and there had to be something interesting for Jigen and Lupin to get their hands on.

Jigen had wanted to call Lupin on his unconvincing play at trying to pass for casual and ask what all the soppy talk was leading to - as if he didn't know - but decided to play his hand close to his chest for now. If Lupin wanted something it was sometimes best just to let him get it out of his system and think it was his own idea. It wasn't like they had anything else going on. So Jigen had shrugged and fished a less than dead cigarette out of the overfull ashtray and said:

"I'm game. But if any jobs come up I'll let you handle em. I could use a little vacation."

And Jigen had meant it. Once they had found a modest little apartment to set up in, Jigen had afforded himself to the task of lounging around with the top two buttons of his shirt undone, taking time to smoke his cigarettes all the way down to the filter then occasionally flick them across the room to see if he could sink them into strategically forgotten wine glasses, (he never missed) and in general remaining delightfully uninterested in anything Lupin was up. At least most of the time.

Apropos of nothing, Jigen would subtlety dig at Lupin, wondering out loud how those 'interesting little jobs' Lupin had mentioned were working out for him. Lupin hemmed and hawed and talked in circles, changing the subject and never really answering. Jigen was not a stupid man and his ears were just as sharp as Lupin's most days. He knew Zenigata was in town and it didn't really surprise Jigen that Lupin would be doe-eyed enough to turn the customary pursuit around in a way and be the one chasing Pops from nation to nation for the chance to see him. Anything in the name of love, Jigen supposed sourly.

One early afternoon, Jigen tossed a battered memo pad with a spiral top warped from the pull of pages into Lupin's lap without ceremony. Lupin picked it up and examined it.

"What's this?" He asked. Jigen scoffed good-naturedly.

"You were having a bit of trouble digging up some work, so I figured I'd give you a hand." Jigen explained. "What it is, who has it and where they're keeping it. S'all in there. How you get in and out with it, I'll leave to you. Already done too much work for being on vacation."

Jigen had his hat off and the hard arch of his eyebrow told Lupin that it was not the kind gesture he said it was. It was a dare. He had, at last, took a stand against Lupin's wishy-washy attitude and was looking to see if the man was willing to make good on his supposed reason for so rabidly wanting to come to Spain in the first place. Lupin narrowed his eyes, suspicion at war with the sportiveness of his smile.

"And if I can't walk out with it?" He replied. Jigen smiled back.

"You cook the rest of the trip, whatever I want and you do the dishes." Jigen told him. He was holding a copy of Recoil magazine and he rolled into a tube smartly. Lupin stood and, grasping the memo pad loosely, he tapped it against his chin pretending to think on it.

Jigen was a decent cook but often picked out things he was interested in having. He never asked Lupin what he wanted as he was only cooking for himself or so he insisted. The fact that he always made enough for Lupin as well went unacknowledged. Nevertheless, squabbles over what to eat were a not uncommon occurrence between the two thieves. They were lucky they didn't have Goemon to contend with as well on that front. Things became nigh impossible to agree on then.

Lupin tossed the note pad up and snatched it from the air.

"No problem!" He boasted. Jigen, who had begun to turn away looked over his shoulder.

"I want octopus." He clarified. He tapped the rolled magazine against his shoulder as he watched the color drain from his friend. Lupin hated octopus with a passion bordering on fear and Jigen knew it.

"No way..." Lupin gulped. Jigen turned back, unable to keep from teasing Lupin. He approached with the air of a horror movie monster, free arm up and reaching to Lupin in a pantomime of a tentacle with his hand in a terrible claw at the end.

"Yes, way. That's the very first thing I want. You are going to go down to the market first thing in the morning and bring back the freshest, slimiest, wriggling octopus they got and cook it for me with paprika sauce!" Jigen gave extra emphasis to the adjectives, delighting in Lupin's faces when he did. His smile was downright evil.

Lupin's guts churned and he slapped a hand over his mouth. He couldn't stand the thought of that. The nasty slippery creature with its writhing tentacles and the _smell_. It was almost too much to handle. Still, Lupin swallowed hard and with a little difficulty, regained his composure.

"Fine! It doesn't matter anyway," He said, a bit haughty. He pushed Jigen hand away, with a firm but playful shove and waggled the memo pad at the gunman "Cause there's nothing I can't steal and this is no exception. Count on it."

Apparently satisfied, Jigen's smile cooled down to its usual, if seldom seen, level; something kind if not time worn. He turned away again.

"Yeah, sure. It'll be like taking candy from a baby." He agreed facetiously then stepped out onto the balcony to take a nap on the lounge chair with his magazine draped across his face.

Now, as Lupin crept through the halls he was only upset Jigen hadn't given him a better challenge with the collection of wealth all around him. The target was a medal called The Order of the Golden Fleece. It was Roman Catholic order of chivalry and in addition to the title of knight, the receipt was awarded a collar fully coated in gold that was estimated to be worth around sixty thousand dollars. The Golden Fleece had most recently been awarded to the King's son, Prince Cordero as part of a ceremony for the Prince's official knighthood.

Lupin almost felt insulted. If he couldn't steal a gold medal from some foppish prince's bedroom while the man slept, he might as well retire now. Lupin found the bedroom Jigen had marked on the rudimentary map scratched into the memo pad. Lupin had only skimmed the notes written down and found everything pretty straight forward but he was still thankful that even when Jigen was supposedly on vacation and not bringing his A game, his research was still thorough.

The thief gently cracked open the door. A beautiful room with a high ceiling and tall windows. One set of drapery wasn't entirely closed and a band of blue moonlight bisected the room. It fell across the mattress of a massive cherry wood four-poster bed in which Lupin saw a sleeping form beneath the plush coverlet. He couldn't see the man's face but his wheat brown hair was tossed over one of the many pillows piled at the top of his bed. Lupin didn't scan the room otherwise, spying a desk just past the bed and in front of the window and figuring it was the most likely place to start looking.

He moved gently on silent feet, looking over to the motionless form in bed for any signs of wakefulness. He made it to the desk without incident and carefully began to check each drawer for the medal. As Lupin searched the room, the occupant of the bed made a small grumpy cooing noise. Lupin paused in his search and held very very still. The body in the bed tossed. Then turned. Then he sat up.

It was a little boy of no more than five. The shaggy light brown hair was all pushed up on one side from sleep. A pudgy fist came up and rubbed sleepily at one brown eye. His olive skin looked even darker in the room blanketed in moonlight. His little pink mouth pulled into a pout as he looked at the man in the room with him. After a moment he put his hands on his lap and tilted his head inquisitively. Blinking his big eyes he finally addressed Lupin: "Who are you?"

Lupin was too stunned to move a moment. He had been frozen with something that wasn't fear but was not unlike it when he had heard the shifting of the room's occupant, getting no further than turning at the waist to observe them. It had been surprise and then relief when he saw the little boy looking right at him and not bursting into urgent screams of terror. The wheels turned as Lupin tried to piece together what this meant. He landed on the conclusion that either Jigen had been mistaken in where he had marked the target or he, Lupin, had entered the wrong room entirely.

Now he was staring down a little kid who was scrutinizing him, not with suspicion or malice but with definite interest. Lupin imagined that this was what Santa Claus felt like. Lupin hesitated a moment looking for the right response and finding the synapses refusing to fire after the shock of seeing this kid. He momentarily toyed with the thought of saying he was the tooth fairy but knew better.

He straightened up and leaned against the desk, affecting a friendly open pose. He spoke in a sweet soft voice of someone sharing a secret.

"Well... I happen to be a thief." He said with a small wink. He held a finger up to his mouth as a universal signal of keeping things quiet for the sake of a secret.

"A thief?" The little boy's eyes lit up. "Are you really a thief? Like really and truly?"

Lupin's eyebrows shot up. He had a feeling the kid would be dazzled by the romance of the fairytale thief as the younger set usually was but it had gone over better than he had expected.

"Uh huh," Lupin uttered but then fell back into character upon seeing the little boy's face scrunch up in response to the lackluster answer. He crossed his ankle and held his coat lapels proudly. "I mean - why yes, of course."

He looked at the kid through one eye, skeptically a moment later.

"But aren't you afraid? I could have a gun. Or an axe. Or perhaps," Lupin stuck an overdone pose with one arm high above his head as if he were about to throw a flash grenade to the ground and continued in a wavery fun house voice that was more Dracula than home invader "A blinding pepper bomb that could fill the room with smoke and make you sneeze for a week."

Lupin pretended to sneeze himself, in a big full body pantomime complete with robust (but not too loud) achoos. Lupin was a sucker for cute kids and this one looked like a little angel so his playful side was getting away from him. The little boy pushed the blankets down and crawled down the bed excitedly.

"Do you have a pepper bomb?" He asked as he peered in wonder over the footboard at Lupin. "If you do can I have one? I wanna set it off in my sister Maggie's room. It'd go BOOM!" He threw his little arms in the air in a physical example of what the bomb would do. He flopped over the footboard and pouted. "That'd teach her. She'd not so important."

Lupin dropped from his routine to look at the child with delicate concern.

"Why would you want to go and do that? S'not a nice thing for a brother to do, I think." He noted. He rested an elbow on the footboard beside the boy and bent at the waist to rest his chin in his hand. Mirroring Lupin's posture, the boy pouted as he looked up at the thief.

"Everyone is making such a big deal about Maggie. I'm just getting ignored. Dad tried to make me feel better but it's just more responsibility. Grown-ups are dumb." He grumbled. A smile spread across his tiny face and the boy stood on the bed triumphantly. "But not you, Mr. Thief! You don't have responsibilities. You just get to go steal stuff. Can you teach me how to be a thief too?"

Lupin knew he had a job to do and every moment he spent indulging this kid brought him potentially closer to being caught, but the boy's pluck and forthright attitude had charmed Lupin instantly. The kid was enthralling and fearless at that; fearless or far too trusting if this was how he treated a self-proclaimed thief ransacking his chambers in the dead of night. Either way, Lupin couldn't help but give in to his sweet nature. He planted his fists on his hips and lowered his head sagely.

"Being a thief is great fun, of course. But it's not something that you can teach in one night." He nodded his head at the wisdom of his own advice. All at once a thought occurred to Lupin so rapidly he was surprised it hadn't been accompanied by a thunder crash as it struck his brain. If this kid was staying in the royal palace and had family here with him, he had to have an idea of where the Prince's room was. He must have been a cousin or nephew of the royal family visiting for the wedding. Perhaps this little sprig of a boy could lead Lupin right to where the fleece was and fix the slip up in Jigen's notes. That certainly would save Lupin a lot of trouble and time.

He weighed the sudden idea on a scale of sliminess. Would it be right to use this kid just to further his own agenda? The boy wouldn't actually be stealing anything, Lupin rationalized. He'd only be giving Lupin directions, nothing more. And after all, he had said he wanted to be a thief so who was Lupin to deny a little boy their dream, even for one brief moment? Lupin lifted a scholarly finger in the air.

"Being a proper gentleman thief takes brains," He pressed his fingertip to the boy's chest "heart and the right kind of tools. Now I don't have any pepper bombs but if you can help me find something, I can give you this."

Lupin had reached into his inner coat pocket for something and now opened his hand to reveal a yellow yo-yo. He held it out for the boy to see. Every word Lupin said was immediately soaked up by the little boy. When Lupin opened his hand the boy gasped then he took a good hard look at the toy.

"That's just a yo-yo." He complained giving Lupin a nonplussed look. "I already got one of those. My sister's boyfriend is teaching me tricks. I'm not very good yet but I'm trying. That's a dumb thing for a thief to have." He flopped back on the bed and crossed his arms over his chest disappointed.

Lupin chuckled and strung the yo-yo's loop onto his middle finger. He grinned at the boy and pitched the yo-yo down with a little force, making it wait at the bottom of the string so he could wind it over his bent elbow and then with a smart little tug, almost as if he were beckoning it to him with crooked finger, made it jump over his arm, up the string and back into his hand. He twisted the string around his fingers making the yo-yo flip up to the center and swing back and forth in an expert example of the rock the cradle trick. Finally, Lupin pressed a little button on the yo-yo's face and tossed it straight up. The yellow plastic disc shot up toward the high ceiling. It wound around one arm of the elaborate chandelier and then with a mechanical whir, hoisted Lupin several feet up into the air where he held on upside down, both feet and one hand holding tight to the rope. He rotated gently on his grapple line like a spider in a sport coat and his grin flashed in the moonlight.

"A magic yo-yo." The little boy whispered in wonder as he looked up at Lupin. The wonder was back in his eyes and this time it was tenfold. "That's so cool!" Jumping off the bed he came to stand right under Lupin. "Mr. Thief! I'll help you for that magic yoyo! I can play so many tricks on Maggie!" His little face was shining in wonder as he spun around beneath Lupin in his dark blue pajamas.

Lupin swung himself down just so to land in front of the child and disengaged the grappling line. It snapped back into the yo-yo and the toy went back to being completely innocuous. He twisted the button for good measure, locking the grappling line inside. Lupin took a knee and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. He noted the little dinosaurs cavorting all over the fabric of his pajamas and smiled.

"Ah ah ah. Part of being a gentleman thief is acting like a gentleman. That means treating ladies with respect. Even your sister." He warned kindly. He continued adding his next thought kind of like a disclaimer "And uh, don't get yourself hurt with it. No scaling the palace walls. I'd say start by practicing in your room. Maybe wear your bike helmet. You understand?"

The boy puffed up. "Yes sir, Mr. Thief." He stood at perfect attention and gave a salute. His form was good for a five year old child. He deflated a bit. "I guess I can be nice to Maggie. She is a lady, after all. After this week everyone will calm down anyway." He smiled sweetly at Lupin.

"That's the spirit!" He smiled back. Lupin fished out the memo pad and flipped to a rudimentary drawing inside of a curly horned lamb skin hanging limply from a ring beneath a collection of triumphant flames and filigree. He showed it to the child. "Now I'm looking for this and I know the man who owns it lives here. Do you know where I can find it?"

The little boy first tilted his head one way then the other as he considered the picture. His little face scrunched up in thought before the lines slowly softened as he recognized the drawing. "Hey! That looks like the medal dad gave me."

Before Lupin could respond the little boy ran back to his bed and reached under his pillow before pulling out a large medal and running back to Lupin. "Why do you wanna see my medal?"

Lupin's face was a picture of absolute confusion. He looked at the boy then the medal. Then he went to the drawing in the notebook then back at the medal. The drawing had been no more than a doodle, and a bad one at that. Jigen's art skills were lacking (the man had drawn X's over the skinned sheep's eyes) but even at a glance, Lupin could see that it and the medallion hanging from the gold collar in the boy's chubby little fist matched.

He flipped back to the notes Jigen had left him on the target and really read them this time. "Prince Cordero, Infante de Espana (age five)", it read. Lupin did a double take. Jigen hadn't marked the wrong room. Lupin fought to process this new information. The medal awarded to the Duke of Wellington and Louis XV and a symbol of Spain's most expensive chivalrous order had been given to this little rugrat in dinosaur pajamas? This really was too much.

"You're Prince Cordero?" He croaked. As soon as he had said it, Lupin could have kicked himself for what a bone head he felt like. His ability to fail at putting two and two together was astounding.

The boy had said his sister's name was Maggie. That was obviously Margarita, the princess who we getting married on Sunday in the grandest cathedral Madrid had to offer. That's why Cordero said she was getting so much attention. Lupin had noticed the initial time he had surreptitiously skimmed Jigen's notes that the first instance in which the Order of the Golden Fleece had been awarded in Spain was in honor of the then Duke's marriage to a Portuguese princess. It only made sense that the current king might want to continue a time-honored tradition as history seem to be repeating itself between the two nations. And perhaps could it also have been a gesture by a doting father to a son who was worried about being forgotten in favor of his big sister and her upcoming wedding? Lupin had never had any siblings and couldn't relate but it seemed like quite a ways to go just to keep the boy content.

Lupin was going to put Jigen into a headlock when he returned to the hideout. Haul him right out of bed and turn him into a pretzel for tricking him into robbing a little boy. Jigen had said something about taking candy from a baby but Lupin never dreamed he could be so literal. It was a tasteless joke, now that Lupin thought about it. A nasty little dig to say Lupin needed to target an actual child to get any work done during their outing in Madrid and betting against Lupin's ability to do it at that.

"Yeah! That's me!" The boy said with a smile. He turned the medal around and looked at it with mild concern. "Dad says it's a big responsibility. Maggie gets a big party and I get responsibilities. It's not fair. That's why I wanted to play a trick on her but I guess you're right. Maggie doesn't want everyone making such a big deal about her wedding anyway. She just wants to marry Rodrigo cause she loves him." He looked back at Lupin with a skeptical look on his little face. "Why did you wanna see this?"

Lupin considered how he should answer the boy's question. It seemed mean to explain to Cordero that his prized possession was nothing but the marker in a silly game of capture the flag between two grown men. It wasn't the reason he had even entered the country for crying out loud. The thought of why he had stuck with him and Lupin decided to use his heart to work his way around the delicate problem.

"Well, you know how you just were knighted?" He explained, nodding at the collar in Cordero's hand. "Well, I know a knight too. He's a very special knight and I feel very strongly about him. The way your Maggie feels about Rodrigo."

Cordero looked over Lupin. "You love the knight? You wanna marry him? But you're a thief. Knights catch thieves and bad guys." The little prince was really mulling this over in his head. "I mean you seem like a good thief but how does the Knight know you're a good thief?"

Lupin was taken aback by the barrage of candid questions, especially the one about loving Zenigata. While it was heavily implied, Lupin had never said the three specific words to the inspector. Lupin felt he had made his feelings known through his actions, especially his many flower messages, so he was closer than nothing. Zenigata for his part had never told Lupin he loved him, with the language of flowers or his own kind-hearted if sometimes unlearned tongue. It was a weird time to become conscious of such a fact but it was there now and took up residence in the back of Lupin's head. For the time being Lupin busied himself with the age-old conundrum of handling a child's far too outspoken curiosity.

"Because, well, we've seen a lot together. Plenty of adventures. Sometimes we've even been on the same side. He knows I would never hurt someone or do anything too bad." Lupin floundered. It was a thornier topic than he was used to talking about with anyone let alone this little kid who had no concept of areas of moral greyness. "And I do nice things for him... like bring him flowers... and kiss him goodnight."

Lupin could feel himself blushing in the darkness. Now that he was being forced to say it out loud, he couldn't help how giddy it made him feel thinking of Zenigata like this. It had been weeks and weeks since he had laid eyes on the inspector, on or off the clock so to speak, and absence had made Lupin's already fond heart grow fonder still. With a sage nod far beyond his years, Cordero agreed with Lupin.

"Dad brings Mom flowers sometimes and Rodrigo helped Maggie pick out the flowers for the wedding. I picked flowers for mom on her birthday. She really liked them but the gardener was pretty mad. She taught me how to plant more to apologize." The little prince reasoned. He was quiet for a moment as he turned and sat on his bed. He looked at his pillow with a thoughtful look. "Mom and Dad kiss me goodnight when they tuck me in. Even if they're really busy like they are right now. We all love each other so that sounds right."

Those large brown eyes looked back at the adult and for a moment Lupin could see what the little prince would someday become as he sat on his bed throne. Someone who would listen when it was needed of him. Someone who cared and did what he could for those who had less. A prince for the people. He had thought that the title of knight was heavy to put on such small shoulders. His mind was changed now. He reasoned that maybe Cordero's parents saw the same thing in him and knew he would make a good knight when he grew up. The spell was broken as the little face screwed up in a comical satire of disgust.

"It's gross when Maggie and Rodrigo kiss though and it's double gross when Mom and Dad do it. Blech!"

Lupin sniggered and scratched his head.

"You might not always feel that way." He informed Cordero. Lupin joined the boy to sit on the bed, hopping over the footboard and making the antique wood creak. He sat cross-legged at the bottom of the bed and put his elbow on his crooked knee. He rested his chin on his hand and couldn't help but stare at the golden fleece medallion sitting in Cordero's lap.

"Yeah so. What I'm saying is he's a good knight and I like him very much. But more importantly, I've been on the lookout for something to give him -" Lupin started. He had a sneaking suspicion Zenigata would scold him like a child for trying to manipulate Cordero like this and in fact, he didn't quite like it himself. But, Lupin reasoned he would have to solider on or it would be a date with a nasty squirmy octopus for him by sun up. And honestly, this was preferable than wrenching it out of Cordero's hand and jumping out the window like a thug.

"What about him?" Cordero asked bluntly.

"Huh?" Was all Lupin could manage in return.

"What about him do you like so much? Maggie said she has to write something called vows and say in front of everyone why she likes Rodrigo." Cordero gave Lupin nothing but guileless and insistent eyes. He had succeeded in derailing Lupin's scheme for the second time in as many minutes.

"For someone who thinks kissing is gross, you've sure been paying close attention to all of this marriage stuff. Just as deafened by wedding bells as the rest of the country, huh Peewee...?" He said a little flatly. Cordero's candor was already a bit exhausting. Although Lupin was sure he had brought his own share of adults to their knees with his veracity at that age. Lupin folded his knees up to his chest and loosely encircled them with his arms.

"Let's see. He's... determined." Lupin began with a little roll of his eyes "And responsible, a bit too responsible maybe. He's brave and proud and ambitious as anything! He's handsome too, that doesn't hurt."

Lupin added that last one and lowered his head to chuckle when he saw Cordero make a face. He left his cheek resting on his knees when he dropped it there. Lupin was flying by the seat of his pants but he became caught up in the romance of it and was swept away in his own musings. He spoke slowly as the words seemed to sink into him the way blinding bright sun on a winter morning passed through your skin to warm your very bones despite the chill in the air.

"He always does things to help other people. He doesn't worry about himself...even when he should. We have been together for a whole year now, a whole year today in fact," Lupin lifted his head and looked out the window at the sliver of silver moon peeking through the drapes back at him and smile gently "And I don't think I've ever been happier."

Cordero looked mystified from Lupin to the moon and back again. He looked the way Maggie did whenever she talked about Rodrigo or how Rodrigo looked when the boy had caught him staring at the princess. He looked down at the medal in his small hand. In the back of a head, he knew people gave gifts to each other like birthdays and special days each year. Then he got an exciting idea.

"Mr. Thief!" He exclaimed as he jumped up and dropped the medal on the bed. He stood over Lupin, eyes bright with excitement. "If your knight is a real one than it would be easy for dad to make him a Spanish knight too! Then he can have his own medal like mine! Would that be a good gift for your knight?"

Lupin felt like a real heel for what he was about to do but the opportunity had been presented to him and all he had to do was nudge Cordero in the right direction.

"That's real nice, Cordero, but I wouldn't want to bother your father. And even if we did talk to him, I'd never get such a beautiful gift to my knight in time. Our anniversary is just one day, after all." Lupin affected a disappointed attitude. A voice in his head, sounding very much like Zenigata's, reminded him what a reproachful bastard he was. Cordero wilted visibly. He flopped back down on his bottom and picked his medal back up. The medal was heavy in his little hands. After a moment he extended it to Lupin.

"Give it to your knight." He said solemnly.

There it was. This time tomorrow the only thing Jigen would be eating would be a big plate of crow. Victory was Lupin's and all he'd had to do was think on his feet... and lie to a trusting little boy who believed in love. Perhaps it was a bit overblown to think of it as weaponizing his love but nevertheless, it made Lupin feel deplorable.

"Cordero..." He said with a stupid downward pitch that came off as being touched but rang more as disappointment to Lupin's own ears.

"Take it. It's for love. It's what a knight is supposed to do." The prince said. His little mouth quirked up in a small smile "Besides its Maggie's time. No one will notice its missing for a while."

Lupin took a deep breath and held it behind a grimace that he hoped looked like an appreciative grin. He actually reached out to take the collar but waited at the last moment, his hand hovering over it. He wrestled with the situation a bit longer then at last came to the only outcome he knew was right. He rested his big palm over Cordero's little knuckles and hung his head. His shoulders sagged as he exhaled and he looked back at Cordero with a kind warmth in his gentle eyes.

"You know what? You are absolutely right. A knight will do anything for love. Which means I know my knight won't need this bit of glitter. Not if we have each other. The only person who deserves it is you, your royal highness." He explained. His smile was genuine and just favoring Cordero with it warmed his heart.

"But... but you need a gift!" Cordero countered pushing the medal back towards Lupin. "Are you sure you don't want it?"

"I'll be fine. I don't know how much he would have liked it anyway." Lupin soothed as he gently lowered Cordero's hand back into his lap. There was no way he could have stolen from such a sweet kid. He wouldn't have been able to live with the guilt. He was more of a good thief than he gave himself credit for it seemed. Lupin straightened his lapels with the air of a businessman with work still to conduct.

"And, that being said, I believe this is for you." Lupin once again brought out the yo-yo. He could always make a new one later. Lupin held it out on his fingertips to Cordero. The little Prince looked at the toy with longing in his eyes. 

"But it's not a fair trade." He said a bit distressed. He looked from his medal to the yo-yo and back again. "What if... What if you just borrow my medal? You can give it back to me after you've shown it to him."

"Don't worry about it." He ordered Cordero with a kind but firm voice. he pressed the yo-yo into Cordero's hand and ruffled his already sleep-mussed hair. "I said I'd give it to you if you showed me where the Golden Fleece was and you did just that."

Lupin scooted across the big bed and stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. He turned back to Cordero and rocked on his heels.

"Another thing a gentleman thief does is makes sure he never goes back on a promise." He winked at Cordero and tilted his head to one side humming happily. Cordero looked at Lupin like he was the most amazing adult he'd ever seen. Dropping both the medal and the yo-yo on the bed, the boy jumped up and hugged Lupin as tight as he could around the waist. 

"Thank you Mr. Thief!" Without releasing the man, Cordero turned his sweet little face up to look at his new friend. "You should come to Maggie's wedding!"

Lupin hugged the boy back, squeezing him out of instinct. His heart melted. Talk about a little angel. Lupin knew Cordero would never be king of Spain, with the line of succession such as it was, but he was certain if he remained as caring and pure-hearted as he was now how could do some real good in this world someday. Lupin shrugged Cordero up onto his hip and brought him to the head of the bed. He reached out to fluff the pillow.

"Well, I don't know about that. But I'll think about it. But for right now, I think it's past your royal bedtime." He placed Cordero in the bed and leaned over to tuck the cover around him with care.

"It's probably past mine too. I have to be up early." He added. He stood and returned one hand to his pocket. He sighed in a perturbed way then laughed it off. He scratched his head and spoke to Cordero in a secretive tone, behind one hand. "I'm fighting an octopus at dawn."

The prince's brown eyes grew large with wonder. "Will your knight come and help you?" His little hands clutched the edge of the blanket as if he were being told a very exciting story. Lupin puffed up with pride.

"It's nothing I can't handle on my own." He insisted though on the inside he wretched at the very thought of what awaited him at the market in just a few hours time. Lupin turned and moved to the desk, stepping up casually on to it to take the partially drawn drapes in hand. He flung them open. A column of silver moonlight filled the room. Lupin opened one panel of the tall french windows and stood with one foot propped up on the sill. It was all a bit dramatic but Cordero was knee deep in the storybook fantasy and Lupin would be lying if he said it didn't encourage his theatrical side. Lupin swept an arm in a wide arc above his head and across his body in a bow.

"To his Royal Highness, Prince Cordero, _Infante de Espana,_ Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, this humble thief bids thee a very pleasant night's sleep. Adieu..." He said, the very picture of charm and grace and then, soundlessly, was out the window and into the night.

Lupin judged by the sky that he was closer to dawn than to dusk and his watch reflected that. It was pointless to trudge all the way back to the hideout just head back out to complete the task of procuring Jigen's disgusting breakfast so Lupin decided to let his feet take him on a surprise tour of the city in its wee hours. He would wander a bit and then linger as some attractive vista or piece of architecture caught his eye. He watched the sun begin to rise from Segovia bridge and felt the tepid night air on his skin take on the barest hint of the August heat to come. He cut through Athens Park and laid beside one of the misty granite fountains for some time in his early morning reverie and alone in the world save for the occasional jogger who paid him no mind.

Before he went about his ugly cephalopodic errand, Lupin took his time wandering the grounds of the park on his leisurely route to Mercado De San Miguel. He came across a man in his fifties, swarthy of complexion and stout of build, seated along one of the many walkways. He had a double-wide plastic cooler beside him and laid out on a tattered but still bright blanket were large bundles of wildflowers each laid on sheets of newspaper.

Lupin approached, giving him a five euro note. It was not as an act of pity to a man who could have very well based upon the well-worn clothes and untrimmed beard, been homeless. Lupin explained as much when the man first refused the money and went on to call it a courtesy fee if he would put up with Lupin's company. The man laughed and said that he might as well have a bouquet while he was at it, for that was what his business was. For today at least.

The man, whose name was Vano, turned out to be Roma gypsy, or as he called it with pride, a 'Gitano' and explained that he and his family were camped in the hills just outside of town. He had been spending his week picking the vast types of wildflower he found growing out in those meadows and selling them as well as a few other types he cultivated in his caravan to tourists here in the park. Lupin wished him luck on his enterprise and complimented him on his selection. He was honestly impressed with all the different blooms the man had come across out in the wild. 

Lupin was overjoyed to see a few varieties that would do him nicely. He may not have had any proper anniversary gifts for Zenigata but flowers had always served them well. He picked out a few dramatic glossy rosettes of truffle flower, busy with purple-black foliage and bold red flower stalks as well as some mauve clusters of milkvetch (Vano called it goat's thorn) surrounded by bunches of their sage colored leaves. He added a bit of lemon-scented geranium and a single red carnation to the mix, happily handing over another five euro note when Vano mentioned that those were extra as they were from his personal window box.

Lupin looked at the bundle wrapped in newspaper and could see with perfect clarity what it would tell Zenigata: "Surprise! I know this meeting is unexpected but I ache for you and your presence softens my pains." He was very pleased with it.

Lupin sat and talked with Vano a bit longer of this and that and Vano even gave Lupin a recipe for the octopus with chorizo and potatoes, which he assured him would convert him into a lover of calamari. Lupin thanked him but shuddered. Before Lupin ambled away Vano told him to stop by if he wanted to chat again as he was in Athens Park every day and remained there well past sunset.

As the sun peeked over the skyline and true morning approached, Lupin made one more stop on his way to the market at the Plaza De Espana. A great metal statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, green with the patina of oxidation, stood at the center of the plaza and Lupin swiftly climbed it to place his flowers in Quioxte's lap, across his saddle.

It was Zenigata's custom to walk during his morning break in an effort to get some fresh air before risking being stuck in his office for hours on end. It had been something he had taken up on Lupin's suggestion though Lupin knew the inspector would never admit to it. It gave Zenigata a reason to go searching for any messages that Lupin may have left him without arousing suspicion. And the national police headquarters was mere blocks away.

It was at the feet of another knight errant that Zenigata would see Lupin's message to him. His heart swelled and although he had already had a very full morning, Lupin knew it wasn't over yet as he trudged off to the market. 

Over the last month, Zenigata had been busier than he could ever remember being. From the moment he walked into the station to the moment he could pry himself away from his desk he was running. The ICPO had felt that it would be a sign of good faith that they should send one of their top inspectors to help with the arrangements. It had turned into more than help and Zenigata was buried in logistics. He had to account for each and every dignitary and celebrity that was invited along with the throng of people who were already starting to show up to celebrate the wedding in the streets.

It was exhausting. The constant thought of his own wedding many years ago kept coming to Zenigata. How his ex-wife and her family had handled it all. All he'd had to do was show up. He hoped she hadn't had to go through half of what he was dealing with now.

Being busy wasn't the hardest part. The hardest part was when the day would wind down and Zenigata would be alone with his thoughts. Thoughts of his love mingled with the abundance of wedding planning and he couldn't help the goofy grin that would spread across his face at the impossible fantasy of what their own wedding might look like or the ache in his chest over missing Lupin. It was better to be busy. He didn't know when he'd see his lover again and it bothered him that they'd been apart so long. There was little they could do about it though. Duty called and Zenigata was the one who had to answer.

Through it all Yata had been his enthusiastic helper. Zenigata's young partner did all that was asked of him and more. He ran notes, he filed paperwork, he answered calls and kept those who were pestering the older inspector at bay. As of this moment, Yata was out getting more coffee while Zenigata looked over maps and paperwork to make sure they would have enough barriers to line the streets near the cathedral.

Zenigata almost had it figured out but he needed the email with the exact length of the route. One missed barrier could mean a kid getting hit by a car or danger to one of the guests along the route. He reached out without looking for his phone and came up empty. Looking up he confirmed that it wasn't where he thought it was. He groaned. It must have been left at the front desk when he had gone out to sign for documents. He huffed then pushed himself up from the desk.

The worst part of all this was he had to admit he knew how to use his phone and was actually pretty good with technology. There had been times in his career where acting a bit oblivious had gotten him out of certain assignments he hadn't wanted to be part of but that was over now.

The walk down the hall was fraught with questions and requests and Zenigata did his best to answers what he could and fend off the rest. Once he was in the front office he found his phone on the desk of the sargent who had called him to the front earlier. Zenigata immediately opened up his emails and began his search for the one he needed.

It was then an elderly man, stooped and hollow-faced hobbled in through the front door supported by a cane. He had a white beard trimmed to a point accompanied by a waxed mustache and large bushy eyebrows that all by completely hid his eyes. His receding hairline haloed the crown of his head, standing up more windswept than actually styled. His nose was very thin and turned up a bit to an elfish point and inside the cocoon of latex and padding Lupin the Third looked out unbeknownst to the rest of the world.

It had been hasty work to put this look together. After his ordeal serving a very smug Jigen is breakfast and berating him all the way for the dirty nasty tactic of hobbling Lupin via his trust and love of children (all of which Jigen ignored, choosing instead to bask in his victory) Lupin had returned to the Plaza De Espana to check and see if Zenigata had received his message and perhaps left one of his own. He had been dismayed to see the little bouquet was still waiting on the statue, untouched and with no replying blooms to be seen.

It was probably because Zenigata still had no clue that Lupin was even in town, Lupin told himself calmly, but a much larger part of his mind cried out that it was their anniversary and Lupin just had to see Zenigata. That had started a war between his left and right brain, one side knowing it was dangerous and illogical to seek the inspector out like this but the other taking the reins and throwing caution to the wind to get what he wanted.

Now his heart skipped a beat at walking into the police station and seeing his lover standing just there. He had expected to have to weasel his way through into the building proper with the kind of curt disregard for proper procedure that most old men seem to flaunt and others, in a sign of respect for their elders, foolishly let slide. With that, now he found himself the smallest bit unprepared. Zenigata with his coat and hat off and looking at him with polite passivity amused and charmed Lupin. He blamed it on not seeing the man for almost a month and didn't let the moment go on any longer, lest it look suspicious. He hobbled over to Zenigata, ignoring the officer behind the desk and speaking with the creaking urgency of impatient old men everywhere.

"Who do I talk to about a missing money clip, young man? This is very important and I need to speak to someone this instant."

Zenigata looked up surprised from his phone. His first instinct was to fob this old man off in someone else but the thought of getting to take a break from everything wedding was very enticing. Turning more squarely to look at the man Zenigata put on his local policeman smile.

"Alright, sir. I'll see what I can do for you. When was the last time you saw the money clip?"

"Well, it was just his morning, as a matter of fact!" Lupin replied, fighting the urge to snicker as was often the case when he was pulling one over on Zenigata. "Beautiful silver money clip. Engraved. S'very important to me, Sonny. It was a gift for my anniversary, ya see. I don't know what I'll do if I don't find it."

Lupin shook his head gravely and his lower lip stuck out in consternation. He peered up at Zenigata through one eyebrow. He wondered if Zenigata would make a connection.

"An anniversary gift?" Zenigata asked. Why did that make a bell ring in his head? He pushed it aside and pulled out an old spiral notebook from his shirt pocket. "Where was the last place you saw it? What did the engraving say?" He picked up a pen off the officer's desk he was standing by and prepared to take notes.

"Well, I was taking a walk in the Plaza De Espana, last I recall. By the Cervantes monument. The statue of Don Quioxte." Lupin had noticed the spark of something in Zenigata's worn eyes and decided to pick at it. His shifted his weary old tone to something more reflective and he inspected Zenigata the way that only a man who has outgrown social graces can. "You know. You remind me of him in your way. Knight of the Woeful Countenance..."

The inspector wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or offended by that comment. The nagging in the back of his mind and respect for his elders kept him from saying anything harsh. The words "anniversary", "knight" and "gift" kept rolling around in his mind until finally, they seemed to fall into place. Looking up from his note pad in alarm, he addressed the old man.

"What's today's date?" He asked hurriedly. Lupin didn't make eye contact as he picked up on what such a question inferred. He could forgive Zenigata missing his message. He had or else the rather large hints Lupin had dropped about the plaza may have rung a bell earlier. But had Pops really forgotten their anniversary? He didn't want to feel like a neglected housewife but a splinter of discontent wedged itself into Lupin's fragile ego.

"Well, I do believe it's the fifteenth." He tutted then when he realized how huffy he must have sounded added: "But I don't see what that has to do with my money clip!"

"Damn it!" Zenigata growled to himself as he covered his eyes with one of his big hands. How could he have forgotten? The most important day of the year for him and he had forgotten his and Lupin's anniversary. He felt like such a clod. He looked back at the old man who was giving him an annoyed look. "I'm sorry sir. I just remembered something. Let me finish talking your statement and I can-"

Yata came through the door holding two cups of coffee in his hands. "There you are, inspector. I was looking all over. I've got your coffee the way you like it but I'm afraid it might have gotten cold while I was looking for you."

Zenigata sighed when he saw Yata. "I'm glad your back." He said with a bit of relief. "I was just taking this man's statement and I just remembered -"

The phone in Zenigata's pocket started ringing urgently. He pulled it out and made a sound of exhaustion when he saw who it was. "I gotta take this. Finish taking this man's statement then I'll take care of it from there." He handed Yata the notepad and snatched the coffee away before he answered the phone. "Zenigata. I know but motorcycles will be better for the motorcade." He growled at someone on the other end of the phone as he walked away. Yata put down his own coffee and turned to Lupin with a smile.

"I'm sorry about that sir. I'm inspector Zenigata's partner, Detective Yata. Now how can I help you?"

Lupin was taken aback. He knew that Zenigata had a new partner but his youth and, Lupin had to admit, downright angelic good looks were not what he was expecting. This little wisp of a man was just what Oscar Wilde must've imagined when writing about Dorian Grey. Lupin imagined a green carnation in the lapel of the inspector's coat and it fit him quite well in his mind's eye.

"So you're Sancho Panza huh?" He murmured, forgetting to affect his grizzly elder's voice.

"Excuse me?" Yata lifted his head from where he had been studying the page in the memo book. Lupin sputtered and fished a handkerchief from his back pocket which he snuffled into and fussed with.

"Nothing, my boy. Just surprised they are foisting me off on such a pup. Didn't know they took them so young into the force." He recovered. Yata smiled congenially.

"I know I look young sir but I assure you I've been through training like all the rest. Working with inspector Zenigata has taught me a thing or two as well." He chuckled. "Now it says here you lost a money clip?"

Lupin was once again caught off guard, this time by the blinding quality of Yata's smile. Now, Lupin was not an old workhorse, ready to be put out to pasture. He was still very handsome, and while he hated to tack on the damning identifier of 'for his age' it hung unsaid on an otherwise incomplete thought. Especially in comparison to such a fresh-faced youth. He had no idea that Zenigata had been spending his days looking across the desk at this bit of eye candy and, made obvious by his demeanor, an incredibly sweet piece at that. The splinter of displeasure grew just the smallest bit.

With his lover out of the room, Lupin considered dropping the game altogether. Make some excuse and be gone now that his main source of entertainment had up and left. But Lupin, ever the optimist, decided to switch gears. He didn't often get to mess with Pop's various second in commands and he wanted to know more about this one. He had become weary of anyone who believed they directly spoke for Zenigata after Cologne. So he doubled down on his character. He gave laugh that was more a wheeze and peered over his shoulder.

"So that was the famous Inspector Zenigata of Interpol. My, my. If I had known I would have asked to shake his hand. You must be learning a lot, young man." Lupin leaned in and scrutinized Yata through squinted eyes. "You enjoy working for him?"

Yata leaned back when the old man leaned into his space. He blinked surprised. "Well yes, of course, I enjoy working with him." He said wilting a bit but still try to stay positive. "I'm very lucky to be working with such a famous inspector. He was very kind to take me under his wing."

Lupin didn't like Yata's doe-eyed enthusiasm. If he hadn't been so close to the situation or if Zenigata had received his message, Lupin might have been able to look at things differently but sometimes without someone to ground him Lupin was prone to letting his emotions rule him. Lupin tottered around Yata, getting a full view of him as he spoke.

"Even with all the hard work? I'm sure being a police inspector is quite the challenge, all that responsibility. Running around on those bandy legs of yours." Lupin put his cane between Yata's ankles and swept it to and fro a moment, causing Yata to awkwardly bow his legs to avoid its touch. "Must be stressful."

Lupin decided half on a whim to probe a bit deeper. He wanted to make Yata uncomfortable for reasons he wanted to say he didn't quite know. In reality, he knew why he just didn't want to say it to himself.

"D'ya go out drinking with him?" He asked as he came back around into Yata's line of sight. Yata's sudden wide-eyed face of surprise was almost infuriatingly precious as his smile.

"...I'm sorry?" Yata began. Target hit, Lupin surmised and that caused a flash of glee that threatened to bubble up his throat as a wicked giggle. He offset that by speaking louder, the classic tell of someone with unseen to hearing problems.

"Drinking! Drinking! After work, with the inspector! I hear you Japanese are very into social drinking." Lupin often thought broad cultural statements added authenticity to his elderly characters. Plus it caused a second dismayed look to crop up Yata's face for just a moment. This wasn't the first time Yata had encountered casual racism in the job. It was inevitable when you spent most of your job in other countries. He tamped down the annoyance and tried his best to be kind.

"We've had a few drinks together but not regularly." He said trying to be calm. "I'm not sure how that pertains to your lost money clip though."

Lupin could imagine Yata dutifully pouring his superior's drinks with all the grace and aplomb afforded to him as a low man on the totem pole that was the Japanese work world's hierarchy. It wasn't a far leap then to think of Yata with the coquettish charms of a geisha, showering Lupin's lover with praise and flattery. Batting those thick eyelashes (Lupin could swear Yata had two rows on his upper lids, they were so full) face flush with what he erroneously would call one too many drinks going right to his head. Lupin could feel his own face growing hot under the latex. He was getting himself worked up and he knew it. It was all in his head, he reasoned. He collected himself imperceptibly.

"Just making conversation there, Sonny. That's the trouble with you kids today. Always go go go. Never stop to smell the roses. Hard lifestyle like that can't be good for you. Maybe you should settle down, find a nice wife. Be a shame to meet some pretty thing and find out they're taken already." Lupin lifted a finger, trembling just enough to be believable, and wagged it vigorously.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir." Yata answered as nicely as he could. "I'm young and have plenty of time to find someone so I'm very focused on my work right now." The young detective knew that in some rural areas it was expected of people to marry younger but this old man was getting ridiculous.

"Can I have your name and contact information so we can let you know if the money clip is found or turned in please?" He pointedly rested the tip of his pen on the paper to show he wished to focus on the task at hand.

This one was no fun, Lupin decided. He was much more patient than Zenigata and it kind of took Lupin's zest for the game out of him. He hobbled over to Yata and clapped him hard on the back, harder than his fragile frame suggested he was capable of.

"I like your conviction, my boy, I'll give you that. Stick to your guns. Well then, maybe you're right. Maybe you should just keep your eyes on your work, like ya said. S'fer the best, I think. Wouldn't want to end up in a sticky situation." Lupin advised. He made for the exit, chuckling to himself in a creaky voice. "You know now that I think of it, I may have left that money clip at home. My mind isn't what it use to be, I'm afraid. I'll go on back and check. If it comes in, have them forward it to Alonso Quijana."

Lupin spit out the name as a final little play on all of the talk of Don Quixote. He hoped Yata was not too well read to spot the allusion but there was a touch of drama in dropping deliberate clues. If one was not on the edge of being caught at all times, where was the challenge and, more importantly, the fun?

It all came from the fact that wearing a mask made Lupin feel invincible sometimes. Hidden from the world in plain sight, he had nothing to fear. Though he was in the guise of another, often Lupin could be more himself, free of the judgment of others. Bold and brazen could peek out from any number of unfamiliar faces and identities and it was liberating. More people could benefit from that, he believed. That gave Lupin an idea for what his anniversary with Zenigata could entail.

With that, Lupin shuffled out of the police headquarters. He had some preparations to see to. Yata watched the old man go with a mix of confusion and surprise. He shook his head but wrote down the man's name anyway. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zenigata finish his phone call by yelling into the phone.

"It's my wedding and we're doing motorcycles for the motorcade!!" The older inspector slammed the end call button so hard that Yata wondered if he'd have to get the screen fixed again. A blush spread over Zenigata's face as he realized what he had just said but it was too late now. He glared at the screen of his phone in disdain for a minute before turning to Yata. Zenigata stomped over to him, still fuming slightly.

"You get the info from the old guy?" He asked his partner. He desperately needed a cigarette.

"Not really." Yata said handing Zenigata his note pad back. "I think he might have had Alzheimer's. He did leave his name though."

Waving the whole incident aside, Yata turned to head back to his desk. On the back of his right shoulder was a sprig of lupine attached to a very familiar calling card. When Zenigata spotted it he blanched then looked out the door as if to take another look at that old man even though he'd been gone for a moment now. Quickly he checked the name on the note pad. The name made too much sense once he remembered where the old man said he had lost his money clip. That old man was Lupin! Even worse, Lupin knew he had forgotten their anniversary.

As fast as his legs could go, Zenigata rushed after Yata. It wasn't too hard to play off a slap in the shoulder as he snatched the flower and card off the younger man's back. They found a new home inside his pocket.

"Ya know Yata I think I'm gonna work from my hotel." Zenigata quickly snatched up his coat and hat and began to pull them on. "Too... Uuuhh... Distracting here. It'll be much quieter in my room." He lied before starting to pull a couple of folders together. "Text me with all changes or information they send you, ok?"

"_All_ the information?" Yata asked, surprised. He'd be texting the inspector all night. Zenigata was already halfway to the door. He mind was reeling with ideas for anniversary presents and questions as to when Lupin got into town.

"Yeah. Yeah. Just send it my way." He tossed absentmindedly over his shoulder as he headed out the door. First, he'd grab his flowers from the Don Quixote statue then he needed to find an amazing anniversary gift. Fast.


	2. Chapter 2

It took a few hours but Zenigata had pulled together what he felt was a decent anniversary gift. There was no gift wrap but it sat in a long tube on the end of the bed while Zenigata sat at the desk and responded to the many emails on his laptop and Yata's texts on his phone. For the first time in the last few weeks he was happy to be busy. He knew if he hadn't been he'd be pacing the floor while he waited for Lupin.

Explaining the fact that he had completely forgotten their anniversary was going to be a challenge. Especially since it had been a while since they could get together. Zenigata missed his lover and was always happy to see Lupin but he had never been good with dates. More than once he'd had a partner or an officer wish him a happy birthday at the end of a day and Zenigata had blinked in surprise before checking a calendar. There it was every time. In black and white. It never even occurred to him to think about it until that moment.

Zenigata hoped Lupin would understand. He hated the thought of disappointing his boyfriend. Hopefully, the gift he made would make it better. He pulled off his suit jacket and began to roll up his sleeves as he went over the last few emails.

A hand came into sight just beside Zenigata's right ear. Pinched between thumb and forefinger was a pair of red carnations on long stems.

"Hey there handsome. Come here often?" A warm playful voice asked. Zenigata turned quickly and blinked in surprise as he found himself nose to nose with his lover and nemesis.

"Lupin!" He stared for a moment before large tears collected in the corners of his eyes. "Oh, Lupin!" He exclaimed as he leapt from his chair and caught the other man around the waist in a bear hug, nearly lifting him off the floor. "Lupin! I'm so sorry I forgot our anniversary! It'll never happen again! I promise!" He blubbered.

Lupin dropped the carnations and held on out of instinct as he was bucked in the other man's grasp. The glossy gift box under his arm jostled and he held it to his side tighter to keep it from tumbling to the ground. He laughed joyfully. If he had had any inclination to be upset with Zenigata it was long gone now. He was just ecstatic to see him. Lupin wrapped an arm around Zenigata's skull and kissed his forehead with zest.

"Take it easy, you big brute! I'm not upset! Now let me go! You're going to crack a rib." He laughed. Slowly Zenigata placed Lupin back on the ground though he didn't relinquish his hold on Lupin. He rested his big hands on the other's hips to keep him close.

"I really do feel bad. I didn't even know you were in the country. Last time I saw you was Luxembourg."

"That was a hell of a night..." Lupin remarked. His eyebrows bounced suggestively and he basked in the glow of Zenigata's blush. "In any case, you can consider me part one of three to your anniversary gifts."

Lupin swung the wide flat box around to offer it to the inspector. It was a charcoal grey box of a high-quality satin finish. It was tied with a white organza ribbon and finished with a flourishing bow.

"Here's part two." He informed Zenigata. His grin was from ear to ear. Zenigata sighed but he smiled shyly as he accepted the gift. He wasn't good at giving gifts so to have a lover who loved to shower him with them was a bit uncomfortable for him. It had been a while since Zenigata asked Lupin where his gifts had come from. It kept things from getting complicated.

"Having you here is all I really wanted. You didn't have to get me anything." The inspector said as he placed the box on top of his papers on the desk. He knew protesting would just upset Lupin and that's the last thing he wanted to do tonight.

"Oh hush. Everyone likes getting gifts. Go on and open it." Lupin ribbed lovingly. He peered over Zenigata's shoulder hoping to see his lover's reaction to the gift. It didn't take long for Zenigata to pull the beautiful ribbon free and lift the top off the box.

Inside a marvelous jacket in deep royal blue wool was laid out with a crisp white button down and black tie. The coat had a rounded shawl collar in black offsetting the inky night color of the jacket and picking up the tie. It drew the eye down to a single button in black satin. A white pocket square was already neatly tucked into the pocket. It was not in a fancy many pointed fold but rather a sharp and clean rectangular band just peeking out. It spoke of Lupin's understanding that while he was more flashy, Zenigata strove for simple dignity.

"This is... I mean... It's so... Perfect." Zenigata stumbled over his words as he ran his fingers over the lapel. He smiled then turned a teasing look on Lupin. "Get sick of seeing me in the gray one?" He joked.

"Never. Not in a million years." Lupin was incandescent with joy. He was very happy with himself and he rocked on his heels boyishly. "By the time I'm done you'll have one in every color."

"I kinda like that idea." The inspector chuckled. Zenigata's expression turned somber. "This blows my gift out of the water." He moved around Lupin to the bed. He grabbed the cylinder and handed it to Lupin. It was about a foot and a half long and three inches in diameter. "If you hate it you don't have to keep it."

"Shut up. I love it." Lupin said before even opening the cylinder. He turned it over in his hand then gently shook it a moment before he pulled the cap free from one side. He peered in with one eye even though it would be too dim to see. He glanced back at Zenigata to ask playfully "Is it a puppy?" then at last he tipped the cylinder in an attempt to fish out its contents.

Lupin's deft fingers unrolled a map of the world in sepia-toned mimicking an antique. Zenigata's neat and square lettering was in many places.

"It's our first anniversary so it's our paper anniversary. I looked it up online." Zenigata's explained hurriedly. He moved to stand beside Lupin. With nervous movements, he ran his fingers over some of the places he had marked earlier. "It's a paper map, get it? And I marked the places we've been together. Covered a lot of the map actually. I was worried I'd run out of room. Oh! And all the stuff over the last year I marked with a heart. It's silly but I thought it looked kinda nice. I tried to add dates too but we've been together a long time and I forgot some."

Looking at his lover, Zenigata wet his lips worriedly. "Well, what do ya think?"

Lupin's eyes were clear and shining with gratitude. He studied the marks on the map with care. Lupin never gave much thought to where he was going in terms of a journey but this brought into sharp focus how Zenigata meticulously had. The man had chased Lupin quite literally to the ends of the Earth and back more than once and it was humbling to see it all plotted out like this. A more cynical soul might say it was only for his job but Lupin didn't care. This whole thing really was more than a year in the making, although this last year had been one of the most satisfying of Lupin's life.

Lupin crawled across the bed separating Zenigata from himself now, unwilling to go around it if it meant being one second longer away from the man. He was up on his knees before Zenigata and arms around him in three long strides of his legs across the mattress. The map and its tube clunked and crinkled when they bumped into each other and Zenigata's back.

"It's the greatest thing I've ever seen." Lupin told him earnestly. He peppered kisses too shallow to be savored yet too numerous to be missed all over Zenigata's nose and cheeks.

"Really? You really like it?" Zenigata asked as he wrapped his arms around Lupin's waist. He let himself be lavished with kisses and attention from his lover.

"Absolutely!" Lupin drawled emphatically. He let go of Zenigata and tossed the cylinder aside so he could hold open the map with both hands and examine it a second time. "You made this? It's really good."

"Yeah. I mean I always got good scores in penmanship." Zenigata sat next to Lupin on the bed. "It took me a few hours. I'm glad you like it." He smiled adoringly at his boyfriend. Lupin carefully began to curl up the map so he could return it to the tube.

"It's spectacular." He reiterated. He fixed Zenigata with a toothy grin and slipped the keepsake back into its holder. He shook it lightly at Zenigata with the air of a teacher admonishing a student with his pointer.

"But you better not use your new found cartography skills to chart where I'm heading next." He laid across the bed, his legs hanging off the end and his head in Zenigata's lap. He looked up at him with jest in his eyes. "Can't have you cutting me off at the pass, now can I?"

Zenigata chuckled and ran his fingers through Lupin's short hair.

"No, no. That's just for you." He smiled. It was nice to just be alone with Lupin. His phone gave two short buzzes where it was on the table and he looked at it but didn't make any attempt to go get it. He returned his attention to Lupin. "Do I get an anniversary kiss?"

"Oo, greedy..." Lupin teased but he was already starting to lift himself up on an elbow. He crooked one finger at Zenigata in a come hither gesture. With a very self-satisfied smile, Zenigata leaned in and puckered up. Just as Zenigata was dipping his head to bring his lips to Lupin, the thief shot up to a sitting position and knocked his head against Zenigata's own. He barely noticed it as he jumped to his feet crying "The last part of your gift! I almost forgot!"

His voice was awash in excitement as he headed to the window (which Zenigata only then noticed had been left open) and leaned out, struggling with something on the fire escape. He was snickering to himself, the laugh of someone proud of their scheme. Zenigata's hand flew to the place where their heads had collided.

"Ow!" He exclaimed. As he rubbed his temple and watched his impish lover struggle with whatever was on the other side of the window he stood. "You didn't need to do anything else. The suit is enough."

Grunting with the effort Lupin pulled a bulky trunk in through the window and sat it on the carpet. It came up to Lupin's chest and he leaned on it with one ankle crossed casually over the other.

"I didn't buy you that suit for you to not wear it." He said with confidence. Zenigata stopped in his tracks.

"Where we gonna go? There's no masquerade. There are parties around cause of the wedding but no place to hide." The inspector was interested in how his lover was gonna work this one out. He crossed his arms and smiled at the other man waiting for his explanation.

"I'm taking you out for the nicest dinner of your life. And the best part is we will be right out in plain sight for all of it. We're using the full kit this time." Lupin explained further. With that, he undid the latch and swung the trunk open.

It was a wardrobe trunk that folded out from both sides to make three distinct sections. The right side was hollow except for a hanger bar lined with various outfits of all descriptions. The left side housed half a dozen different sized drawers which Lupin pulled open, displaying well-organized collections of gloves, scarfs and jewelry, hats and glasses and shoes of all types. The middle section was made up of clear compartments which were all well stocked with every type of cosmetic product Zenigata had ever seen and a few he hadn't. There was even another smaller hanger section at the bottom, housing false beards and wigs on compact hanging wig stands. Lupin stood just behind it, arms held wide like a ringmaster presenting a rather impressive act.

Seeing Lupin's dress up chest was like seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time. You'd been told so much about it and you knew it existed but seeing it was a whole new thing. Zenigata reached out and reverently and ran a hand over some of the clothing there. After a few suits, Zenigata came across a red chiffon dress. It was a masterpiece. Covered in crystals and sequins, it was cut for the summer with an open back and slim straps. Something made to turn heads and make men pant. A thought occurred to Zenigata.

"I'm not dressing in drag." He said pointedly while squinting at Lupin suspiciously. Lupin blinked for a second and as he tipped his head he looked the very picture of innocent confusion.

"Well of course not." He agreed. After a beat and in a rather matter of fact way he added: "I am."

"What? Why?" Zenigata asked as he mimicked Lupin's look of confusion. Lupin's brow crinkled for just a second but then it was gone and his mouth went to work before his brain could reign him in.

"You know, I figured if we were going out like a normal couple, you'd be more comfortable if we looked like... A... Normal couple..." Lupin's voice petered out and he shuffled his feet. It had been logic that had sounded better, and honestly much less hurtful in his own head. Nevertheless, he persevered in hopes that it would make Zenigata happy. He circled to the front of the trunk and plucked out the dress. He slung it over his shoulder and stuck out a relaxed hip. He was all happy go lucky smiles again, though Zenigata could see it did not reach his eyes.

"Trust me, if you think I'm a handsome guy, I make a downright gorgeous lady. I'm a real looker. A total cutie. Fooled you more than once with it. Now, blonde or brunette? It's kind of like designing the perfect girlfriend huh? Now there's a thought..." Lupin turned to sift through the wigs.

"But we are a normal couple." Zenigata said quietly. Lupin paused in his search and turned to look at him. The inspector looked sad and worried. "And I don't want the perfect girlfriend. I want you." With a tentative movement, he reached out and took Lupin's hand in his. "I'm done hiding. I'm done pretending. So let's go out on our anniversary as boyfriends. And if people don't like it well... I don't care."

Now Lupin's eyes, and his whole face in fact, seemed to light up with vibrant joy. His heart fluttered at both Zenigata's touch and his warm acceptance. He had always considered their relationship to be a far outlier to anything someone could consider normal. Most days he was okay with that. Lupin had never made his fortune by being normal anyhow. But sometimes he could see what he was afraid was discontentment in Zenigata's face rather than just simple sadness during their partings. Or even worse some days when he left while Zenigata slept, Lupin was just utterly certain that Zenigata was waking up thinking Lupin thought of him only as a cheap thrill. His overactive imagination often had a way of getting the better of him. Now though, all of Lupin's doubts were put to rest by Zenigata's conviction.

He kissed Zenigata with an affection that was refreshingly chaste. His hand cradled Zenigata's strong jaw and although it was a short-lived kiss, it had a conviction of its own that made Zenigata's knees go weak.

"Well then...let's get to work." Lupin offered. He playfully pinched Zenigata's cheek then turned back to his kit and started considering the possibilities. Zenigata chuckled. He liked making Lupin happy.

"No blonde for me, ok? I'll look like I'm going through a midlife crisis." He joked. "Just make us look good together."

Together. Lupin adored that word when Zenigata said it to him. His smile was equal parts caring and sly as he returned to his work. He started with himself first. With years of practice, Lupin could apply his look very quickly and efficiently. The clothes had come first. With the expectation that he would be a woman for the evening, Lupin hadn't given thought to an appropriate men's ensemble. He played it by ear, putting together a sober yet distinguished twill suit of hickory brown gabardine with a tawny cashmere button up sweater vest and tie in a blue so dark it was almost black. A light cotton shirt and cap toe Oxford shoes completed the look. It subtlety accentuated the suit he had brought for Zenigata without being too closely coordinating.

The makeup and hair came next and it was like watching an artist paint with no real plans of what the finished canvas would look like. When Lupin was finished what he had achieved was a more refined version of "Alonso Quijana", perhaps what the man at the police station may have looked like at fifty-five rather than seventy-five. He had used a handful of the same facial pieces including the pointed nose but now he sported a full head of ash grey hair brushed back and tight on the sides. His well-shaped brows and beard and waxed mustache gave his regularly rounded face a more sleek and pointed shape. Just when Zenigata thought Lupin was finished, by the way he studied his face in the mirror without touching or changing anything, Lupin picked out a pair of rectangular plastic-rimmed glasses. He put them on and gave himself an appreciative nod. He turned to Zenigata for final approval.

Sitting on the bed Zenigata watched his lover's transformation with utter amazement. He had spent years looking at Lupin's disguises. How perfect and skillful they were. Now seeing it done was like seeing how a magic trick worked.

"Wow." He said as he looked at the man who had aged himself at least twenty years before his eyes. Yes, he was older looking but beautiful. Enviable. The epitome of natural male virility "I thought I had a type but... You look amazing." He chuckled. "Or maybe you're just my type no matter what you look like."

Lupin gave a light laugh and though his face was completely different his eyes shined through with the same vigor Zenigata had always known. He tossed his head confidently.

"Thanks. Now suit up and take a seat. Let's see what we can do." Lupin turned on his heel and started collecting different makeup brushes and inspecting pallettes of colors. "Sure you don't want to go light with the hair? Chestnut, maybe? Meet me halfway and try a strawberry blonde?"

Zenigata shook his head and laughed as he unbuttoned his shirt. The embarrassment of nudity was a long dead concept between the two of them.

"Whatever you want. Two old men on a date." He joked as he stripped down and redressed in the suit. It fit him perfectly and he took a moment to admire himself in the mirror before sitting back down on the bed.

"Build the perfect boyfriend." He teased as he presented himself to Lupin. Lupin responded with a near Christmas morning glee in the way he snickered and clasped his hands together and got to work. He considered each prosthetic application seriously before choosing and affixing it to Zenigata's face. He used precise touches that skirted the line of sensuality at times. Using the techniques he employed in his "work" on the man who had been fooled many times by them made Lupin feel a little naughty and at one point under the flimsy pretense of needing to blend an edge and not being able to see it correctly from his angle, he even straddled Zenigata's lap to sit there. The inspector's hands instinctively came to rest on Lupin's hips.

When he was done Lupin walked Zenigata to the mirror, a hand over his eyes.

"_Et...voila_!" He said and took his hand away to let Zenigata look into the mirror. What the inspector saw was a man he did not recognize. He saw a man much younger, somewhere in his mid-thirties in fact. He wore his hair in a side-swept mess of ruby brown curls that draped over one of Zenigata's eyes. His eyebrows were thinner and slighter now, leading down to a delicate Grecian nose. The cleft in his chin was now gone, smoothed and covered by a new jaw that gave his face a more oblong shape. He even had incredibly well manicured and shaped designer stubble. Lupin was very proud of that piece as he had taken the time to lay the hairs individually himself over the course of a lazy afternoon. It had not been for any particular job, just something to do and it had made feel accomplished for a job well done. He chocked it up to something like a hobby on downtime, equivalent to some who knit or read.

Nothing in all the years he had been chasing Lupin had prepared Zenigata for this. He was handsome, very handsome. He could have been a model. Turning their head one way then the other he then raised his hand and waved at himself.

"It is me!" His voice coming out of the unfamiliar reflection in front of him. He leaned into the mirror to get a better look. "I look European."

Lupin was very pleased by this reaction, taking it as a compliment to his work.

"I figured I'd go a bit more Spanish. When in Madrid, right?" He massaged Zenigata's shoulders and watched Zenigata watching himself in the mirror. He nuzzled Zenigata's cheek a bit, mourning that his touch was deadened by the latex. His voice was still strong with impishness as he rumbled in his ear. "Plus you get a chance to be the young pup and I can be your old man for a change."

"I'm your trophy boyfriend." Zenigata laughed hard and gave Lupin a sultry look. "Is this something you've thought of before? You could have told me. I've become more open-minded." He leaned back into Lupin's touch. "Luxembourg was proof of that." He rumbled. The deep sound of his voice reverberated though his chest and back. His lover would be able to feel the vibrations in his hands were they rested on his back. The latex hid his blush. Lupin put his arms around Zenigata's shoulders and hugged him from behind.

"What can I say? I have the best ideas." He crooned. He let go of Zenigata and stepped away. They had just put on their suits and it would soon be a futile errand if things kept proceeding as such. Lupin returned to the desk where he had dropped the carnation on his entrance. He smartly snapped the stems off each of them and placed them on his and Zenigata's lapels with pearl stick pins from his kit.

"The finishing touch. Red carnations, the symbol of Madrid and the traditional first anniversary flower. Talk about kismet, am I right?" He announced. Zenigata wrapped his arms around Lupin's waist and pulled him in to kiss him. He felt as young as Lupin had made him look and he was so in love with this man. He pulled away shortly into the kiss though. A look of dissatisfaction was on his face.

"It's all perfect but I can't feel you with all this stuff on my face and what I can feel is that beard."

"That's the price I have to pay to take you out and show you off." Lupin reasoned in an amenable way. He sighed in an easy come easy go way that said it couldn't be helped. Lupin switched to a version of his old man voice from earlier in the police station but now it had less creak and more presence. "And this beard makes me look distinguished, Sonny."

The pair of them laughed and when it died down there was a comfortable moment of silence between them where they just lingered in each other's loose embrace. Lupin touched his forehead to Zenigata's and when he looked into the other man's eyes he could see him for who he was.

"Someday I'm going to show you off to the whole world." He said it in his own voice, soft and earnest and true. There was no mistaking what he meant. In moments like this Zenigata had a hard time being positive. It was never going to happen. Their love story wasn't meant to be told to anyone. It was their secret forever. Those melancholic moments never sat well with Lupin and Zenigata knew it. Over the last year he had learned to dream again and that sometimes he could just smile through the pain and it would turn out alright. He smiled now through the impossibility of that statement.

"When that day comes I'll be proud to say I'm yours." He squeezed Lupin a bit tighter. "Now let's get going or I'm gonna wreck all the work you just did." He gave Lupin a lecherous grin and a little growl.

The moment had passed for better or for worse and Lupin didn't linger on it but committed it to memory as he always did. Now he was free to play along, beating at Zenigata's chest and tossing his head dramatically.

"Oh you brute! You vicious brute!" He laughed. He backed away just enough to offer his arm to the inspector. His eyes twinkled. "Shall we, darling?"

For the millionth time that night Zenigata fell madly in love with Lupin all over again. Looping his arm in with his lover's he said, "Lead the way. I can only imagine what you've cooked up."

A Cheshire cat grin from Lupin was his reward.

As the two men were about to leave the hotel room, Zenigata remembered his wallet was still in his trench coat pocket. Lupin insisted he wouldn't need it but Zenigata was a better safe than sorry type and quickly went back to get it. The wallet was quickly removed from the coat pocket and found a new home in the suit's pants pocket. Just as Zenigata turned to go back out the door his phone buzzed on the table beside him. He looked at Lupin who was casually leaning on the door frame and looking down the hall as he waited somewhat patiently for his boyfriend.

Against his better judgment, Zenigata scooped up the phone and tucked it into his inner jacket pocket. It was a tight fit with the protective phone case Yata had insisted on putting on his phone but a quick check in the mirror he confirmed it didn't mess with the lines of the suit. A moment later he was shutting the hotel door behind him as he pulled Lupin close.

  
The Fiat pulled up to the Plaza De Colon and Lupin insisted they walk. He pointed out the statues and fountains as the walked toward the restaurant. Zenigata felt their hands twine together automatically. It was natural. It felt right.

When they walked up to what Zenigata assumed was the restaurant he was surprised to see what looked like an old fashion cinema but with fruit stalls spilling out the front doors. In fact, Zenigata was not far off. Platea Madrid had been a cinema in its former life. Now it was a multi-level market and entertainment center. The first floor was full of different places to find anything you could want to cook or eat. Every variety of fruit or vegetable was available and on display. There was even a charcuterie with coveted Iberian hams.

They went up a set of stairs and found themselves in a large lounge that would have been orchestra seating years ago. It included several tapaserias and a bar too. Zenigata was surprised by all the food and was even excited by a sushi vendor. He was rather picky when it came to sushi and never found any of it lived up to that of his home country but this looked surprisingly authentic. Lupin had other plans though. He rolled his eyes and snagged his lover before they headed further upstairs.

Canalla Bistro took up residence in what was once the mezzanine balcony of the cinema. It had an amazing view of the stage where a band was playing an eclectic array of music spanning from the fifties to the nineties. The restaurant had black tables on the many levels of the balcony. All done up in cocoa brown and cream, it gave off a sense of nostalgia for something that had never really existed.

Of course, Lupin had a table booked. The best table in the restaurant of course. It was a private table with a spectacular view of the stage. As they were walked to it by the hostess, Zenigata wrapped an arm around Lupin. There was no way anyone could confuse them as anything less than lovers and it felt good. The inspector smiled at people as they walked by. If they gave him the once over he'd lean in and whisper something that he knew would make Lupin smile.

Once they got to the table Lupin wasted no time in ordering for the both of them. It didn't bother Zenigata. Lupin was better at the language and he seemed to know the menu better than the waiter did. The inspector didn't even look at his menu.

Lupin started them off with oysters and salmon tartare. He also ordered a bottle of champagne. Now Zenigata was a cup noodle man and the oysters offered a bit of a challenge but once he had the hang of how to eat them it was fine. It caused no end to Lupin's giggles but there was love in his eyes as he watched his determined inspector master the art.

The main courses ended up being lamb shoulder for Zenigata and a beautiful cut of tuna for Lupin. There was more champagne of course. They fed each other the best bites of each other's meals under the pretext of "you've got to try this." Laughter was their constant dinner companion. They poured each other's drinks and found their fingers brushing against each other lovingly throughout.

There was only one mishap during the meal. Lupin had excused himself to use the restroom and as soon as he was out of sight Zenigata had his phone out. It had been buzzing intermittently all through the evening. He began answering texts and emails as quickly as he could. With some luck, he could get them all done before Lupin got back. As usual, luck wasn't Zenigata's friend. It took Lupin three loud throat clearing noises to get Zenigata to look up from his phone.

When the inspector realized he'd been caught he sheepishly placed the phone on the table beside his plate with an apologetic look. He quickly explained that it had been work and that it wouldn't happen again. The phone immediately buzzed from its place on the table and Zenigata had to do his best not to look at it. Lupin insisted coldly that it was fine. He smiled but it never really reached his eyes.

They went back to their easy conversation but when the phone went off again Lupin went silent. The look on Lupin's face was something Zenigata wasn't expecting at all. It looked to him like jealousy but it just couldn't be. Not Lupin. Once the phone was tucked away Lupin's mood visibly improved. They finished their meal and Lupin paid the check and wouldn't allow Zenigata to see it. They left the restaurant arm in arm. It was nice again. A perfect night Lupin told his lover wasn't over yet.

After his short stint as Alonso Quijana that morning, Lupin had ended up shedding his disguise and wandering back into Athens Park where he spent the afternoon chatting with Vano. Before Lupin had left to work on the preparations for his night out with Zenigata, Vano had extended an invitation to Lupin to come out to where his caravan had been parked to spend some time with his family. Lupin graciously took him up on the offer but warned him that he might not look like what the gypsy saw before him. It had forced his hand a bit to tentatively explain why (only giving the vague excuse of being unaccepted by society with his boyfriend) but the Roma man was if anything charmed by Lupin's sunny personality and what he thought of as ingenuity in the face of a difficult problem. Vano assured Lupin that the Gitano knew all too well what it was liked to be judged at face value and to need a place of safety to relax.

It had been then Lupin had bought the pair of carnations and told Vano that the man's own flowers would be the signal that Lupin had arrived.

Lupin led Zenigata into Athens Park and down the stone walkways to the place Vano had set up shop. Lupin was ecstatic to see the man was still there, rolling what flowers he hadn't sold into paper and placing them with care into a cooler strapped to a beat up but serviceable moped. Lupin greeted him with a familiarity that confused Vano at first, but once he saw his own carnations on Lupin's jacket a dawning light of recognition began to show on his face. Vano had been surprised and impressed by Lupin's handy work and shook Lupin's hand in a congratulatory way.

He asked if the man with him was one he had been told about and when Zenigata made a face of shock and fear at that, Lupin soothed him by taking his hand and assuring him that Vano was a friend and knew that Lupin needed him to be discreet. Zenigata was dubious but admitted that he trusted Lupin and would go wherever he said was safe.

They followed Vano's little moped in the Fiat out of the city limits and into the hills of the Spanish countryside on winding paths bisecting impossibly beautiful fields of wildflowers. Lupin figured this was where most of Vano's flowers had come from.

They arrived at Vano's camp and Lupin was warmed to see the man greeted by his wife and family and a slew of children. The patriarch proudly explained that he had nine children of his own, all grown with the youngest being twenty, as well as twenty-five grandchildren. They ran the gambit from toddlers to teenagers and based on the sizes of the dozen or so RVs and Winnebagos that made up the caravan, Lupin surmised that living space was tight but everyone seemed incredibly happy. Lupin could recognize Vano's own RV by the smaller trailer attached that had been converted into a shabby but ingenious mobile greenhouse.

Zenigata and Lupin were welcomed warmly and guided over to the campfire where they were offered stuffed cabbage and baklava. Both men were stuffed from dinner, though Lupin grazed lightly, always excited to try home cooking from anyone willing to offer. The ouzo and plum brandy, on the other hand, both men happily sipped. Zenigata felt as if he could breathe fire after the first sip and Vano had clapped him hard on the back, proudly explaining that his son made it himself and it was the best in all of Europe.

Lupin and Zenigata sat close together. Vano's wife mentioned what a handsome couple they made and when someone jokingly brought up their obvious age difference she reminded them that the older the wine, the sweeter the taste. Vano laughed heartily and winked at Zenigata, adding the old gypsy saying "When you're drunk, even an old woman tastes like a virgin." That comment made Zenigata go red under his mask and earned Vano an only half upset scolding from his wife for his crass nature and a series of guffaws and agreement from Lupin himself.

Despite this, the comfort at being acknowledged as a couple was intensely liberating. With their sides touching, Lupin felt the buzz of the phone through Zenigata's coat as soon as it happened. The inspector reached for it on instinct but Lupin gave him a warning look.

The crowd grew as Vano's children and in-laws trickled into camp from their days looking for work in the city. Zenigata was a bit overwhelmed when Vano over and over introduced them to the newest family member who hugged them or shook their hands vigorously but he had Lupin by his side to take the brunt of the attention with a panache and charm Zenigata had only heard Lupin possessed but had never seen in action. The inspector admired the thief's natural ability to draw others to him and become a member of any group. He was glad to be along for the ride and Zenigata did his best to keep up with all around him.

Soon nearly fifty people, young and old were gathered around the fire, laughing and talking. Zenigata was fascinated by Vano's stories and world view and appreciated the man's conviction as he explained the plight of his people. Vano lamented that most people saw Gitanos as lazy thieves and Lupin first went stiff and then had to hold in a laugh when Zenigata passionately told him that Zenigata had met many thieves in his time and not a one of them had been Roma. He paired it with a knowing look to his lover.

Lupin leaned into the inspector, putting his arm around the man's waist casually. Zenigata returned the weight as if it was second nature and for a moment Lupin was sure Zenigata was reaching over to take his hand. It made his heart flutter and he put his arm across his lap to make it available but then Zenigata only shifted his cellphone away in his pocket. He had probably been trying to do it without bringing attention to it but Lupin's eyes were keen and even over the voices of their companions and the crackle of the campfire, Lupin had also heard the buzz of the vibration. He huffed a sigh through his nose but tried to keep his temper in check even though the moment was lost as far as he was concerned.

One of Vano's son's brought out his guitar and began to play. It was high spirited to start with, a syncopated boom-chick swing. His strumming hand never touched the top of the guitar as he improvised trills and arpeggios. It was when a girl around fifteen joined with her own guitar (Vano pointed her out as the man's daughter and his eleventh oldest granddaughter, Sabina. Zenigata head was spinning trying to keep up with all the names but he nodded encouragingly) that others became more interested. Sabina and her father traded off, one playing rhythm guitar under the other's lead and switching back after a few minutes. Django Reinhardt tunes gave way to more prominently Spanish guitar. People clapped along, not merely keeping a beat but adding layers of intense rhythm to the song that made it richer. Both Lupin and Zenigata were entranced by it. Occasionally someone would woop a crow of encouragement.

People began to dance alone or in pairs, women in their casual shorts and tank tops still swishing imaginary skirts as if in full regalia. Older children taught their younger cousins and siblings the steps. Vano, seeing this, told Zenigata and Lupin that if they wanted to learn then those would be their teachers. One could not learn to swim without getting in the water, after all.

As tipsy with champagne and brandy as he was, Zenigata was still sober enough to decline politely. Lupin, on the other hand, was always up for a challenge and he pulled off his coat, rolled up his sleeves and raced around the fire where he was all but pounced upon by the children. He followed their lead, and very quickly caught on. Lupin had always had a natural sense of rhythm and it helped him immeasurably. Before he knew it he was twirling his little twelve-year-old teacher around and reveling in her shrieks of excitement.

Zenigata watched him letting each child take turns standing on the tops of his shoes as they clamored to be danced with. He clapped and stamped his feet, theatrically mimicking the flamenco that some of the adults were doing, much to the delight of his playmates and Zenigata was smitten by the way he moved, carefree in the blaze of the firelight.

Then Zenigata's phone buzzed again. He hesitated. His phone had been going off in pocket with alarming regularity and he wondered if maybe it was really important. It would be irresponsible to not at least check. He surreptitiously peeked the phone from his pocket and gave a perfunctory glance through messages. It was all minor details about the royal wedding as he had expected it would be but at least he had made sure there hadn't been an emergency to be seen to. When he looked up, he was shocked to see Lupin looking right at him, his brow crinkled in annoyance and a frown on his face. Zenigata was ashamed to be caught a second time and he shoved his phone deeply into his pocket. Lupin's nose scrunched up in distaste and he turned away.

Zenigata couldn't stand to see the man upset especially when he had done so much to make the evening special. He shot the last of his plum brandy even though it made him grimace and cough then stood and stomped over to his lover. He took Lupin by the arm and pulled the man to him.

"So is your dance card full?" He asked. Lupin still had his brow furrowed but he was smiling. Zenigata persisted. "Come on. Teach me. I don't want to be the only wallflower."

Lupin softened. He found himself unable to stay mad at Zenigata. He held Zenigata close and guided him around the fire. He may have been wearing a different face but the sparkle in his eyes was his and it was as pure as gold to Lupin and twice as precious.


	3. Chapter 3

After many hours of merrymaking, Lupin and Zenigata bid them all farewell. Vano told Lupin that for a non-Roma he was all Gitano and he would always have a home at their caravan. Lupin figured, with his ever traveling, unrestrained spirit, the man wasn't too far from the truth.

Lupin guided the Fiat down the deserted road. He had the windows and sunroof of the Fiat wide open letting in the summer breeze and the moonlight. They drove through fields of wild lavender and the scent was intoxicating. Zenigata sat slumped in the passenger seat. He had removed his suit coat as well by now and was the very picture of relaxed contentment. Lupin sighed and laid his head against the seat's headrest.

Zenigata was the most relaxed he'd been in months. He was happy and the cool night air felt good. It went whipping past them as they drove. Looking at his lover he saw peace there even through the latex. All was good. Then his phone buzzed.

Later Zenigata would blame the alcohol for his poor choice. Without even thinking he reached into the back and grabbed his jacket, not even trying to hide it from Lupin. The phone had several messages waiting for him and he answered them as he went.

In the middle of one email, a picture text popped up. When Zenigata opened it he saw a small boy in dinosaur pajamas hanging from a chandelier by what looked like a yoyo. The boy was clearly enjoying himself as he laughed at the panicked adults who were rushing to get him down. A young woman in the lower left-hand corner of the picture was laughing along with the boy. She was young and pretty and wrapped in a silk robe. It was Princess Margarita. So the little boy, Zenigata deduced, must be Prince Cordero. Zenigata sighed. In the few hours he'd been gone Yata had gotten himself into quite a mess.

"Damn Yata." He grumbled under his breath. He went back to his email, typing quickly.

Lupin glanced from the road when he saw the glow of the screen lighting up the dimness of the Fiat's cabin. He knew he had been testy on the topic of the phone all evening but the pair of them had always been very strict about leaving their respective jobs outside of their time together. Making it doubly frustrating was that it was, as Lupin had suspected, that pretty boy Yata who had been blowing up Zenigata's phone. He didn't know what was worse. That Yata had been messaging Zenigata all evening or that Zenigata was so keen to reply. It really rubbed Lupin the wrong way that Pops saw fit to break the one rule on their anniversary of all days. Which he had forgotten, Lupin reminded himself suddenly.

Lupin focused on the road. His mouth was set into a hard line under his false beard.

"Good to know he's annoying us both now..." Lupin grumbled just loud enough to where he knew Zenigata would hear. Zenigata humphed a sound of agreement but he clearly wasn't listening. He just kept scrolling and typing. He was deep into work and logistics and the rest of the world had fallen away. Lupin's face pinched up in aggravation. He decided to turn Zenigata's inattention against him.

"Well then...you won't mind if I just-" Lupin didn't finish the thought. He snatched the cell phone out of Zenigata's head and held it above his head. His attention shifted between the road and the man in the passenger seat.

"Hey! Lupin!" Zenigata yelled as he tried to grab the phone back. The seat belt slammed him back into the seat the first time but his second attempt had him reaching up out of the sunroof to retrieve his possession. "I need that! Give it back!"

Lupin snickered meanly, enjoying the nasty little thrill of getting his way. The Fiat swerved as Lupin jerked away and Lupin righted it a moment later.

"Now now Pops! I think it's stressing you out." He cried. He pumped the steering wheel and pulled the Fiat over. In a flash, he was standing up on his seat, waist-high out of the sunroof. "You need to put it down!"

Lupin reared back and chucked the phone out into the field of lavender, with a grunt of effort. Zenigata watched in stunned silence as his phone flew through the air. He looked back at Lupin with a disgruntled look.

"Damn it Lupin. I need that! How do I explain what happened to my phone at work?" His seat belt was unbuckled and Zenigata left the car in a huff. He pushed through the tall lavender searching for the phone and hoping it wasn't too damaged.

Lupin too got out, pulling himself up through the sunroof and sitting on the lip of it a minute.

"Oh come on, Pops! They'll buy you a new one!" He called after the man. He was in better spirits after that cathartic act and something very similar to how Lupin felt when toying with Zenigata in their other lives was taking hold. He swung his legs over and hopped onto the dirt road. He circled around the car and followed the disguised inspector out into the lavender. He bounded through the plants in an attempt to catch up, his movements making them shiver and kicking up their herbaceous aroma.

He shot a few steps past Zenigata, taking his wrist and spinning the man on his feet while he passed. He turned and observed Zenigata like a puppy who was waiting for his master to come play, poised to run away again.

"Lupin..." Zenigata said in a warning tone though less angry this time. He turned back to searching. "I don't wanna new one. I want my old one. I just got it how I liked it too." He let out a pitiful whine like an old dog who had lost his favorite chew toy.

Lupin always found Zenigata unbearably cute when he pouted and even though he had a different face, his personality shined through in his body language and manner and Lupin adored it. It was bratty but getting a rise out of Zenigata had greatly improved his mood. It often did. Lupin planted his fists on his hips in a pose of boyish arrogance.

"In a meadow of lavender and you still can't chill out! Talk about a workaholic!" He crowed. His smile made his waxed mustache twitch up. Zenigata looked over his shoulder at Lupin. It was a nonplussed look; a bit exhausted but the bad mood had evaporated.

"You want us to frolic in a field together? We're grown men for God sakes, Lupin."

Lupin shrugged somewhat theatrically, shaking his head in a 'that's too bad' sort of way. He slowly sauntered over a few steps.

"Now I never said that. I just figured if you're so interested in work right now..." He drawled the words carefully as if sizing Zenigata up. Suddenly he shoved Zenigata hard enough to make him stumble and swiftly back up a few steps. He ran in place as he whooped his challenge. "- you'd want to try your hand at catching me! Not that you'll stand a chance, old man!"

Lupin darted away a few yards, deeper into the sea of purple flowers. It had been a surprise when Lupin pushed him but Zenigata caught himself. His eyes slid over Lupin quickly and he smiled.

"Who do you think you're calling 'old man'? I thought I was the young buck tonight!" He flicked the hair from his wig out of his face with a cocky movement. A moment later he was lunging at Lupin. He had hoped that the element of surprise would help him but his arms wrapped around empty space. A determined Zenigata lurching at him had never hampered Lupin before and it didn't stop him now. He jumped back, skipping away and laughing.

"You got to be quicker than that!" He called and he was off like a rabbit. The lavender hissed as he pushed through it, mixing with his bell-like laughter. Zenigata ran after Lupin. It was an odd experience. He'd chased Lupin for so long in his professional life and now he was doing the same in his personal life. This felt fun though. There was no emptiness. No long nights alone. Even though he was still annoyed with the thief he couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again for the millionth time.

There was another attempted lunge on the inspector's part and once again he came up empty. This time though he overbalanced and went tumbling into a pile in the field of lavender with a resounding "Oof!!". Lupin spun on his heel, kicking up dirt. He barreled back towards Zenigata, seeing a brand new opportunity now that the man was on the ground.

"I have you now!" He cried. He paired the declaration with a faux evil laugh, the likes of which Zenigata had not heard outside of a black and white cartoon. Lupin took a running leap and dove with all grace and form of an Olympic swimmer into the lavender and on top of Zenigata. He kissed Zenigata's mouth and cheeks. All he could feel was latex on his lips but Zenigata's body was alive and moving in a playful panic beneath him and that spurred Lupin on. He was panting, breathless with elation. He scrambled to pull Zenigata's protesting hands away and all the while Zenigata laughed and swatted at the thief. "My my, how the tables have turned!"

With the use of his hidden strength, Zenigata rolled the two men over. The lavender bowed under them as they went, making a clearing for their bodies.

"Not so fast, Lupin!" Zenigata laughed as he said it, knowing it wasn't the first or last time he'd say it to the thief. After pinning his lover to the ground he leaned down and kissed him passionately. He pulled away like he had in the hotel room. "Yeck! That feels so weird."

Lupin's laugh was still giddy and delighted. He pulled the man down to kiss him again, seeming to not hear him in his excitement. He stopped the kiss short and reached up. He worked a finger under the edge of the latex by Zenigata's mouth and pulled, hurriedly; purposefully. The latex stretched and a ragged tear opened up. Lupin yanked it away and a chunk of the mask came off, freeing half of Zenigata's chin and his lower lip. The application had taken a long time to make and now it was ruined but Lupin didn't care. He kissed Zenigata again, but it wasn't enough.

He tugged on his false beard and it came off, ripping the false skin all around it. The makeup came away from Lupin's skin, mostly painlessly but for a little sting at the edges that was surprisingly exhilarating. He tossed the beard away and breathed the words that were now less lighthearted and more sensual before diving back in for another kiss, feeling like he needed to again right then and there.

"I need to see you."

Zenigata's kissed back. It had never done him any good to deny Lupin anything. Always ending up being more trouble than it was worth. He did make them pause though with a breathless: "Wait. Wait." He pulled back and with a little smirk ripped off Lupin's mustache. He could see the slight wince on his lover's face as it was pulled free. "That's for throwing my phone." The words were almost growled with need. Zenigata's strong arms wrapped around Lupin and he kissed the man with all the passion he possessed.

Lupin wrapped his arms around Zenigata's head, keeping him in the kiss. His hand buried itself into Zenigata's wig and he tugged it away. It came off in his hand along with the jagged edge of hairline all along the top of the mask. Lupin's long fingers dove back into the short familiar bristle of his lover's own hair. He went to nibble at Zenigata's upper lip but found more damnedable latex there. He pulled at it with his teeth, possessed by the fever of it all. At last, he conceded that he had to end the kiss if he wanted to remove his lover's mask.

"Can you blame me? I didn't invite anyone else on this date, y'know." He intoned it like a husky challenge to disagree when this was such an outcome. He pulled off his glasses and his eyes gleamed with a daring that Zenigata knew well by now. Settling himself to kneel between Lupin's legs, Zenigata looked down at his lover with sad puppy eyes as the rest of the latex was peeled away.

"I'm sorry." He said as Lupin's familiar fingers stripped the rest of the latex from his face. "I know I can get caught up in work but I just want this over with. All I want is to be back on your case." His own big hands began to pull away the wig and the rest of the prosthetics from Lupin's face. "I'll try to be better." The inspector added and he leaned in to kiss Lupin again.

Though the night air was warm, it felt refreshing and cool on Lupin's newly uncovered face. He basked in the way Zenigata would pull the latex away with a soft muted snap then caress the real flesh underneath, brushing away errant bits of make-up then becoming more bold in his touches down Lupin's brow and cheeks. Although the eccentricity of Zenigata's affection being manifest in his desire to capture him was not lost on him, Lupin was genuinely touched by Zenigata's words.

He opened his mouth into the kiss, tasting brandy on his lover's tongue. He took handfuls of Zenigata's shirt sleeves, pulling Zenigata down to him. The shift of their bodies made the lavender rustle and the scent filled both of their noses. As their tongues met Zenigata rested his weight more heavily in Lupin. The other man could bare it. He'd proven that many a time. One of his big hands cupped the nape of Lupin's neck to tilt his mouth into a more passionate kiss, searching and loving in its languidness. His other hand went to Lupin's hip before running up his outer thigh and hooking under his lover's knee.

Lupin automatically tucked his ankle around the back of Zenigata's thigh. His palms caressed up and down the inspector's back. He felt the heat of Zenigata's skin through the thin dress shirt. Lupin's heart was pounding with thrilling power and he sighed through his nose which turned into a needy hum with Zenigata's sure and comforting weight on him. Lupin's finger inched down over Zenigata's ribs and curled around his belt, holding on for dear life. Zenigata pulled away with a surprising sound.

"Here?" He asked as he felt Lupin pull at his belt. Lupin only got this grabby when he wanted clothes to come off.

"Here..." Lupin confirmed, breathing the word against Zenigata's lips. He chuckled devilishly. He bucked up a bit to grind himself into the man on top of him. "Next time I want a map of all the places we've made love. First pin goes right here..."

He knew it was the type of bold statement that was prime material to both fluster and invigorate Zenigata. He loved when Zenigata embraced his daring side especially when it was at odds with his normally more austere nature. It was inevitable that Lupin would get Zenigata to blush. That was how they worked after all. The inspector kissed Lupin hard to hide his red face and to keep Lupin from giggling at him. He pushed back against Lupin's grinding hips. When he did pull away they were both flushed and breathless.

"We have a lot of map to fill then." He chuckled and it was a deep rumble in his chest. Zenigata grazed Lupin's throat with his teeth as he moved along to kiss and suckle Lupin's earlobe and Lupin's body was racked with shivers. He made an excited sound behind his teeth and squirmed. With his both hands on Zenigata's belt now, he started to rock the man against him. His length was already hard in his pants and he could feel Zenigata's own body responding to the slow friction.

Zenigata released the hold he had on his lover and he pulled the shirt from Lupin's pants. His big rough hands slid under the shirt and vest to feel the hot soft skin. Sharp teeth grazed the shell of Lupin's ear as Zenigata husked a deep groan. "I've wanted to touch you all night. I love how you feel."

Lupin returned the favor and tugged Zenigata's shirt up in the back. His hand rode up Zenigata's back closing in a hug with his palms clasped along the inspector's shoulder blades. All the while he undulated with a fluid grace that made Lupin sigh with each gentle buck of his hips. Zenigata's voice always had a way of making Lupin's libido do backflips when it dropped to the low sure register. He had seen Zenigata transform over the last year into a new person. He was still the same caring if somewhat inelegant man Lupin had come to cherish but now there was a new sexually confident aspect within him that had gone from a mere flicker to a low smoldering flame. Lupin had hoped it had always been there and it was Lupin's love and tutelage that had brought it to the enviable state it was now.

"Don't stop..." He exhaled. His voice was scarcely louder than the rustling of the lavender in the summer breeze. He groaned at the open-mouthed kisses Zenigata laid along the column of his neck. The gentle suck of lips on his skin felt incredible."Your mouth... Use your mouth... Feels so good..."

A smile spread over Zenigata's lips against as he pushed Lupin's shirt and vest further up his torso so they were rucked up beneath his underarms.

"You want my mouth?" Zenigata asked softly before he plundered Lupin's mouth with fervency, his tongue sliding over Lupin's as he kissed the other man hard. One thumb teased the hard peak of a pale nipple while the pads of the other fingers slid down his lover's side. He hooked his fingers into the dark blue tie and held Lupin still while his mouth was ravaged. Lupin liked the pull on the back of his neck when Zenigata took hold of his tie and how it guided him into the kiss. The kiss itself took Lupin's breath away. When Lupin was mewling plaintively against his lips Zenigata pulled back slightly. "Is that how you wanted my mouth?"

The inspector smirked. He began to slowly work the tie free. Lupin wanted to squirm but Zenigata's weight was strategically planted now and Lupin was trapped. Not that he was complaining. The soft brush of silk from Zenigata's tie was teasing and wonderful on the bare flesh of his sternum. Lupin looked up into his lover's face, a mixture of night shadows and summer moonlight.

"Lower..." He whispered. Zenigata huffed a chuckle before placing slow sucking kisses down the column of lupin's throat. His thumb still teased the hard nipple and the inspector loved the noises the thief made. When he came to the spot over Lupin's heart, Zenigata looked up at Lupin with dark eyes that held love and a passion that was only ever directed at the thief. He kissed the spot over his heart slowly and with meaning. His hands slid down Lupin's sides and started to undo Lupin's belt.

"You tease. I've created a monster. I'm a bad influence on you, inspector." Lupin observed and then with a flirty tilt of his head, added in a sigh "I like that."

Zenigata was unsure if Lupin was talking about his behavior or the soft way he was trailing his short nails over Lupin's hip bones as he opened the thief's pants with a deliberate slowness but didn't plan on relenting on either. Lupin's chest rose as he filled his lungs with the night air. His senses were consumed in the perfume of the high green grass and aromatic lavender hiding the two of them from view and the cool rich earth beneath him. Lupin held Zenigata's shoulders and breathed out an airy moan as his lover continued to touch him.

"If I have to pick up one of your bad habits this one isn't so bad." Zenigata joked. His teeth grazed over Lupin's hip bone as he eased his lover's pants down. They had both been surprised at how good Zenigata had been with his mouth and it had become something the inspector was actually very proud of. Making Lupin squirm and pant and beg had become a favorite past time for Zenigata and now was no exception.

Lupin's sex bobbed out of his striped boxers as they were pulled down. Zenigata mouthed his way up the underside of Lupin's length before taking him into his mouth. He looked up at the other man as he sucked then worked his mouth down slowly.

"Aw hell..." Lupin groaned in a husky voice. He pressed the back of his fist to his lips, hissing a sound of pleasure behind them. He shuffled his shoulders as he squirmed, no doubt grinding grass and dirt onto his bunched layers of clothing. He quickly opened the buttons on his vest and shirt in need of fresh air on his quickly heating skin. He sat up a bit, supported by one arm and brushed his fingers through Zenigata's short cut hair a moment, just watching and appreciating his lover's work a few moments before shrugging off one shoulder then the other. He tossed his shirt, vest and tie to the side and laid back down. The stalks of the plants were cool and supportive beneath him and he dipped his head, pillowed as it was in the lavender plants, to gaze at Zenigata's head bobbing his lap. Lupin tucked one arm under his head and went back to lovingly petting Zenigata's hair and along his temples.

With sure hands, Zenigata massaged Lupin's hips as he sucked. His nose nuzzled into the short pubic hair. Lupin smelled masculine and wonderful. It mingled with the earthy scents around him and it went straight to his head. Giving one long hard suck back to the tip Zenigata pulled off. His hands were slow and unhurried as he pulled off both shoes and socks from Lupin's feet.

"I need you naked." He hushed as he slid the pants and boxers off Lupin's legs. The legs were long and lean with a bit of hair to show their masculinity and they fit beautifully over Zenigata's shoulders. With a devilish look, the inspector returned to his work in the hollow of Lupin's hips, using his tongue more now that he had more room to work.

Lupin was not against dirty language. He had absolutely no problem with it being directed at him (the things Jigen had panted in his ear on occasion...) and he knew more or less what to say but he often considered it less than gentlemanly to use such vocabulary during lovemaking. Which is why Lupin had intended to say something urbane and romantic in response to Zenigata's desire to see him in the nude. A portmanteau of the term 'skyclad' and the men's current surroundings. To say that he would happily be "Lavenderclad" for the inspector had an amorous charm, Lupin thought. Or perhaps he could turn a quote of one of his favorite poets on their ear. Lord Byron finding pleasure in pathless woods had no idea what he was talking about. There was always Robert Burns or of course Shakespeare as well. But then Zenigata's mouth was back on him and Lupin lost all coherent thought and the only thing that dribbled out of his lips was a downward lilting whine of stricken pleasure and the drawn out words: "Ooh fuck, Pops...!"

Lupin slapped a light hand over his mouth, surprised by his own outburst and a moment later laughing at it. It was muffled by his hand but it was definitely there, delighted by the absurdity of his thoughts versus his actions. Sex never stopped being fun with Zenigata, Lupin found.

Zenigata kept up his ministration while his hands gripped Lupin's slim hip. He liked how he could undo the great Lupin. The sound of Lupin's giggles made him hum his enjoyment. His lover's body shivered under him and another moan was pulled from his throat. Zenigata could feel Lupin twitching on his tongue and he wasn't ready for the fun to end. He pulled off and moved up to kiss Lupin deeply. One hand braced himself so he was over his lover and the other hand stroked the other man's length slicked with his own saliva.

Lupin took the opportunity to paw at Zenigata, now able to reach him since he had come back to his lips. He rolled his hips in time with Zenigata's touches and he blindly palmed Zenigata's own hardness through his slacks. He broke the kiss.

"You are definitely overdressed. Don't leave me in suspense now. William Blake says art only exists with its naked beauty displayed, after all." Lupin said, proud that he had gotten his chance to paraphrase one of the romantics to his satisfaction. It always added something to the course of things in Lupin's opinion. A deep groan was pulled from Zenigata's chest when Lupin rubbed his arousal through his pants.

"Mmm... You mean you don't like me on top of you in these clothes. You picked them out." He chuckled breathlessly as he pressed their foreheads together.

"Point very well made, but if you don't stop playing with me like this I'm going to go crazy." Lupin admitted. It seemed his well for repartee had gone dry and he was relying on honest brevity now. Although it was paired with a smile Zenigata knew well. Even when things were at their most bleak or impossible, that smile said there was no challenge that Lupin couldn't overcome. In this new sensual light, it spoke of an appetite for any and all delights that his lover could cook up.

Lupin's hand came from where it was cradling his head and he eased Zenigata's tie from the knot (a complicated but eye-catching trinity knot that Lupin had done himself at the start of the night) and undid his top buttons. All the while his hand deftly massaged Zenigata through his slacks. Zenigata's resolve was wearing thin with the way Lupin was touching him. He let go of his hold on Lupin and began unbuckling his pants. 

"Get my shirt off." He instructed Lupin before kissing him again. Lupin went for the buttons with both hands now. He made quick work of them and pulled Zenigata's shirt from his slacks entirely. He pushed the clothing away and off of Zenigata hurriedly and without waiting for Zenigata's to pull his arms free from the tangle, Lupin sat up to kiss and nip Zenigata's collar bone and chest. Zenigata's skin smelled amazing and Lupin could feel a fresh crop of gooseflesh under his lips as a warm breeze caressed the newly freed skin. The lavender whispered faintly with their movements.

Once his belt was undone Zenigata shook the tangle of shirt off his arms. He cupped the back of Lupin's head to keep his mouth on his skin. He sighed a sound of arousal and contentment before he whispered in Lupin's ear. 

"Lupin I..." but the words wouldn't come. He couldn't say them for the first time with his pants around his hips. It felt to Zenigata that he was saying it out of lust rather than what he really felt. "I want you. I will always want you." He placed a kiss on Lupin's temple before he pushed his pants off and shuffled them down his legs. They were kicked off once he had toed off his shoes and socks. He kissed Lupin as he laid his lover back onto his bed of lavender. "Do you want me?" He whispered against those plush lips he had come to know so well.

Lupin sensed that the mood had shifted again, first from playful to lustful and now to something more intimate. It made his whole form tingle with anticipation and longing. His arms encircled Zenigata with a gentle touch as if he was afraid he would break the man. He brought Zenigata's body to rest across his own and the contact of skin on soft bare skin was marvelous.

Lupin thought not for the first time how both of them often dangled on the precipice of using the words 'I love you' with each other, Lupin more so and in creative ways that got the message across without verbalizing it. Hell, there had been several times he had wanted to say it to Zenigata that very evening. It just felt like a natural statement. Both of them were unsure of what would happen after one of them took the plunge. Lupin told himself he was capable of making peace with the idea that Zenigata would never say it (something he believed more and more each time he sensed the inspector was about to attempt to) but it still fell the smallest bit tragic. But because Lupin loved Zenigata, he would not spook the man with words that seemed to hold such a sacred importance. Lupin would do nothing to jeopardize the fragile truce that made him so happy.

"More than anything. You're wonderful..." Lupin responded without hesitation. Praise like that from Lupin always made Zenigata's heart ache. He kissed Lupin once more before he pulled back.

"Hold on. Hold on." He said when Lupin's hands pawed at him. There was usually a moment like this when they needed to reposition or Zenigata was about to fall off the bed, which happened more often then he liked to admit.

This time he reached for his discarded pants and pulled out his wallet. Though Lupin insisted they could use saliva, Zenigata was always afraid of hurting his lover. Because of this and Lupin's adventurous nature, the inspector had taken to keeping packets of lubrication in his wallet. When the packet was retrieved he smoothed his hand down one of Lupin's thighs. "Spread your legs for me."

The weight of that phrase with the inferring certainty of what was to come next, even when not framed as a dirty command, always served to make Lupin feel like the sexiest man in the room. There was no room to speak of this time around but it still stood. The way Zenigata looked at him, naked and sprawled in the loving arms of mother nature herself, made Lupin feel like some kind of classical beauty. Eros, shorn of his wings but no less a deity of sensual desire.

Lupin did as he was told, opening his legs. The pale purple whorls of blossoms and finely haired leaves tickled the backs of this thighs as he did so. Feeling Zenigata's eyes on him, Lupin slipped his hands down along the length of his torso, slow and enticing to rest on his open inner thighs. Zenigata almost forgot what he was doing when he saw Lupin. The man had a way of short-circuiting his brain when he did things like that. He shook the cloud from his brain and opened the packet. After slicking up his fingers he leaned over his lover and kissed him. Slowly he eased his fingers into Lupin.

It was not a sound of pain but rather of deep pleasured relief that escaped Lupin as the digits moved gently inside him. His hands flexed against the flesh of his thighs as he experimentally opened and closed them, feeling out the sensations. They were, needless to say, exquisite. Lupin looked up into Zenigata's face dreamily and not being able to find any words in the moment, just winked at the man and kissed him at the corner off the mouth.

Everything about Zenigata melted with that kiss. He nuzzled his face against Lupin's as his fingers thrust inside his lover, slicking him and searching for that point inside that would make the man moan with pleasure.

"A year ago I dreamed of being inside you in every garden in the world. Versailles. The Taj Mahal." He hushed into Lupin's ear as he presses that perfect spot inside. All it took was the crook of a finger to make Lupin jerk and shiver. He held onto the inspector's bare shoulders and his eyes fluttered closed.

"You... really are a romantic..." Lupin replied. Zenigata's manner and voice were so kind and filled to the brim with nothing but reverence for Lupin. The thief silently hoped with all his might for Zenigata to say he loved him. The words would not come he knew and he wouldn't risk this beautiful moment by saying them himself but he comforted himself with the loving touch of Zenigata's lips and the head spinning, passionate sentiment of his words. Lupin was sure the inspector's examples amounted to hyperbole but through the haze of sensation, Lupin made a note of them nonetheless in case he could make those dreams come true in the future. He continued to kiss Zenigata with all the love in his heart, his body growing hot with each tender stroke of the other man's fingers.

"You don't know the half of it. When I couldn't think of any more gardens I went searching for more. I would search for gardens and think of the ways I would have you. How amazing you'd look in Villa Lante or Rikugi-en. The way I would make you melt at Shalamar Bagh. Your taste in Alhambra." Zenigata whispered into Lupin's ear. His love was almost panting for him and he couldn't deny he wanted the other man too. He eased his fingers out then slicked his length with the remaining lube. Pressing himself against Lupin's entrance he kissed the other man's lips before pushing in slowly. "I never imagined it could be this good. I never imagined I'd give you my heart."

Lupin at once was clinging to Zenigata, arms and legs wrapped around him. His own heart was about to burst from happiness and it seemed by the sting in his eyes, the path of least resistance would be through his tears. Lupin hid his face in the crook of Zenigata's neck and sighed brokenly as his lover began to move. He knew Zenigata was passionate, but Lupin was completely taken aback by the depths to which his passion lay. They were the most artful sincere words that ever been said to Lupin and in that moment he was proud Zenigata was his. To think that Zenigata, with his rough edges, was capable of such poetry made Lupin want him that much more. All the purple prose was usually more Lupin's own speed. It seemed Lupin had been a good influence on the inspector as well.

"Jardin Majorelle... San Souci... The Tiergarten..." Lupin puffed hot breath against Zenigata's skin and groaned deeply. His head spun with the pleasure and heady emotion and Lupin gave over to the beautiful fantasy. "Lots of space to fill on a map...."

The inspector took his time, thoroughly making love to Lupin. "Anywhere. I'll go anywhere with you." He said breathlessly. His hold on Lupin was tight as though he was trying to mesh them together. "I'll follow you anywhere." Those words were said unironically as though it hadn't been the case for years.

Lupin felt like he was already coming unraveled with every slow masterful stroke his lover gave him. His breath caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly. He kissed Zenigata's shoulder and neck then worked his way back to Zenigata's mouth. He kissed Zenigata open mouthed and wanting, sharing breath with the man. Kissing Lupin back was all Zenigata could do for some time. Kiss and move inside his lover. The world dropped away. His Lupin was here and in his arms and after a whole year, the thief still wanted him. Their hearts pounded together as they kissed. Zenigata pushed the kiss into a more passionate place. He wanted to thrust harder and faster into Lupin but this moment felt too good. The slow burn was so intense that it was all-consuming.

"More?" He breathed over Lupin's lips. Lupin's eyes were screwed shut and he nodded his head through a kind of grimace of bliss. His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed another euphoric moan.

"More... Please...." He sobbed softly. His mouth was hanging open just a little. He bit his kiss bruised lip and rolled his shoulders into the lavender. The scent of the flowers was all around them now, kicked up by their work. Lupin's palms traveled down Zenigata's back and came to rest on the inspector's ass. With his hands planted there, Lupin began to push lightly in time with Zenigata's thrusts as a sign of encouragement. Each of Lupin's hands massaged one globe of Zenigata's buttocks. That was all the inspector needed. His hips rolled harder and faster inside of Lupin.

"Yes. Yes." He panted between the kisses he ran up Lupin's jawline. When Zenigata came to his lover's ear he didn't tease like he usually did. Breathlessly he whispered. "I'm so lucky. I'm so lucky to have you. Thank you Lupin."

Lupin did cry then. It was only a few fat tears that rolled down his face and away to the ground and then he was past it but the gratitude and openness from this man who by all rights should have hated him, and for a portion of his life had as far as Lupin knew, was too much. He was glad Zenigata couldn't see it with his own face pressed to the shell of Lupin's ear. It might have scared Zenigata to see such vulnerability from the unflappable Lupin, even if the tears came from a place of overwhelming joy. Lupin knew and admired that Zenigata felt his emotions so intensely but it could also get the better of him and Lupin never wanted to make him worry.

Lupin quickly wiped his eyes with a palm down his face then held Zenigata to him with a sure and strong hand on the back of his neck. He looked up from their bed of flowers and above him the sky was alight with the twinkling of stars on a backdrop of inky midnight. It was breathtaking and mixed with the delirious pleasure, it was enough to make Lupin tremble.

"Pops... I don't...I don't know what to say..." Lupin's voice was hoarse with effort and emotion. He smiled thinly. "Not like me, I know..."

Zenigata chuckled by Lupin's ear. He kissed over his lover's cheekbone but still held Lupin close.

"You don't need to say anything for once." He said in a husky voice. He was smiling and looking deep into Lupin's eyes. "Moan for me. Cum for me. Show me how you feel."

With a request so intense, Lupin was only too happy to oblige. He tilted his head back and moaned like a wolf howling at the moon. Lupin tossed his head lightly and his fingers gripped tight at Zenigata's shoulder and hip. He used the leverage to push back on Zenigata's strokes as he begged the man in inarticulate wordless groans of ecstasy. Although the tall greenery served to hide them, Lupin's cries carried across the low rolling hills. Zenigata had truly captured Lupin this time and as his captive, Lupin was powerless in his grasp. For once the thief would have it no other way.

"Yes. Yes, like that." Zenigata moaned back. Pushing into Lupin a bit harder and faster, he worked a hand between them and stroked his lover's length in time with his thrusts. "Oh damn, Lupin." was panted into Lupin's ear and Zenigata's length throbbed in the tight squeeze of Lupin's body. He was almost at his peak and couldn't hold out much longer.

Lupin shifted his body into the touch, gasping. His hand came away from Zenigata's neck and he clutched a handful of the already crushed lavender flowers at his side. He twisted it in his fist, only faintly hearing the snap and crunch of stems beneath his own cries. The friction of their bodies with only the slight ease of sweat had felt good on Lupin's aching length. He had not been prepared for the eager pull and twist of Zenigata's adept hand.

Lupin kissed Zenigata's chin and mouth, frantic and wanting. Finally, Lupin felt himself teetering on the edge of orgasm and for a split second his breath and any sounds became stuck in his throat. He went rigid and tensed hard. Then Lupin was coming. He arched up, his heels dug into the grass and he cried out. He barked a hard grunt that then changed into a longer libidinous moan, breathy and low.

"Lupin..." Zenigata groaned as his orgasm crashed over him. He knew he was close but his lover's body was so tight and perfect. Pressing his face into Lupin's neck, Zenigata growled his completion. His body shook and he held Lupin tight as if the man would evaporate if he didn't. "Yes. Lupin. Oh God." He groaned as he came down.

Lupin went slack in Zenigata's arms. Breath crashed out of both of them, out of sync, making their chests heave against one another. Lupin's muscles sang with relief from the sudden snap of going lax and he felt like he was filled with soft glowing heat. He laid a light kiss to the side of Zenigata's head. His lover smelled like an amalgamation of sweat, rubber latex and the earthy vegetation all around them. With a certain slowness that drained through Lupin, he began to come back to his senses.

"Pops..." He puffed and he sounded both impressed, satisfied and downright floored. Zenigata nuzzled Lupin's face, totally lost in this perfect moment and his bliss.

"Hmph." He rumbled as he lay on top of Lupin. The press of their bodies felt good. He never wanted it to end.

"I, uh..." Lupin began. For just a moment, Lupin really considered telling Zenigata he loved him. Would there ever be a better moment, satiated and trembling, lounging in a lover's embrace in a meadow of lavender beneath a clear summer sky? Lupin couldn't have planned it better himself. But there was something still holding him back. Something that separated him from the inspector. It wasn't their places on opposite sides of the law. That hadn't stopped anything between them up until now. It felt more like something rooted in Lupin's all or nothing nature that knew if he said it now, things could never be the same. If he crossed that line with Zenigata he would have to cross it in a big way. He didn't quite even know what that would be. And, truth be told, Lupin was afraid that it would come down to a rejection from Zenigata. Even after everything he had said and done this evening, Lupin couldn't shake the thoughts of other types of partners Zenigata may or may not have had in the last year.

"...I think I felt the earth move." He said instead, dreamy and calm. That wasn't a lie in the slightest and a safer road to take. Lifting his head Zenigata looked dreamily down at Lupin.

"Same here. You are perfect." He kissed his lover softly. When he pulled back he could see nothing but happiness on Lupin's face and there was little more that he could want in the world. It was that moment that he almost said it but the fact that he had to think about it stopped Zenigata. When he did say it should come out naturally and without thinking. Instead, he said, "I could never forget this day now."

"I sure hope not." Lupin joked with a smile more in line with his usual mischievous attitude. He was back at ease again and all that remained was happiness. Lupin shuffled up a bit to a more comfortable position on his side. Zenigata pulled free from Lupin and they both shuddered but they remained tangled in each other's embrace otherwise. Lupin cradled his head in his arm and laid there gazing at the man so close to him. Lupin could feel dirt and greenery sticking to his bare back and he had leaves and bits of lavender flower in his hair. He knew he must've looked like the wild man of Borneo but he paid it no mind. Picking at the leaves and grass in Lupin's hair brought childish glee to Zenigata.

"Didn't mean to mess you up like this." He teased. His own knees and his arms had their own dirt and foliage stuck to them but Lupin had taken the brunt of it. "You'll just have to take a shower when we get back. I'll wash your back for you." In a rare display of childishness, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The thief kissed Zenigata's brow so briefly that it was almost no touch at all. He sat up cross-legged and stretched his arms above his head. After the initial wave of afterglow Lupin often found himself invigorated by sex. It made his mind go racing and filled him with triumphant energy. He gave a groan of satisfaction.

"I'd say that sounds like heaven, but I'm pretty sure I've been there already once tonight." He replied and he heard more than felt a pop in his spine which made him sigh. Lupin stood now, brushing dirt and grass away from his bare bottom. The lavender did not come up high enough to completely censor him, but Lupin didn't seem to mind. He stood, breathing the warm fragrant air deeply. The moonlight almost made his pale white form glow in contrast to the backdrop of the deep blue night.

"What a night...." He hummed. Zenigata watched his lover moving through the tall flowers and grass. He was mesmerized by Lupin's fluid movements. The inspector was so in love. He snapped back to reality when he saw Lupin pick up his pants off the ground.

"Oh! I guess we can't lay here naked all night." Zenigata said before pulling himself off the ground with a small groan. He brushed himself off and began his own search. As he pulled his boxers on, a light shown from the grass. Curiosity got the better of Zenigata and he pushed the grass aside. There lay his phone with a recent message on the screen. He looked back to make sure Lupin wasn't looking before scooping it up and tucking it into his pants pocket before pulling them on. "You're paying for my dry cleaning." He yelled over his shoulder with a laugh as he located his shirt.

Lupin had been preoccupied with pulling on what little clothes he had to over his sticky and grass-stained frame. He gave up after buckling his trousers and pulling his layered shirt and vest over his shoulders. They hung open, fluttering in the breeze like a cape.

"Yeah, sure. Send me the bill...if you can find me." He tossed over his own shoulder in a good-natured grouse. He didn't look back but rather busied himself with finding every remnant of their masks and wigs. Lupin would not have a repeat of the DNA debacle in Cologne.

With a bit of a swagger, Zenigata sauntered over to Lupin and grabbed him by the arm. Pulling the other man to him he kissed Lupin hard and growled: "I always find you."

He smirked then pulled his shirt on before heading to the car. Lupin looked after Zenigata. He was pleasantly stunned whenever the inspector found his confidence and so he stood there, hands full of latex fragments and false hair and smiled with a dopey kind of pride. Lupin made a final check of the area and followed after Zenigata.


	4. Chapter 4

The trip back to the hotel was quiet but nice. They both smoked and every time a romantic song came on the radio Lupin would reach over and take Zenigata's hand in his. The inspector hummed in satisfaction. This felt natural.

Getting back into the hotel was a challenge. In the end, they came in through the window. Zenigata was far less graceful than Lupin but he made it in with minimal injuries and only a mild ribbing from Lupin.

In the shower, it was all soft touches and softer words. Their kisses were languid. Their hands wandered more than washed. For that reason, Zenigata was clean far before Lupin as he hadn't been as close to the dirt in their tryst. The couple laughed as the inspector picked leaves and grass from the thief's hair. Eventually, Lupin kicked Zenigata out of the shower so he could properly wash up. Not before giving his lover one more deep kiss, of course.

Zenigata wiped himself down in the bedroom smiling to himself at the thought that it was his boyfriend in the shower and soon they'd be cuddled in the big soft bed. If he was lucky maybe they'd get a round two in before falling asleep. The older man chuckled to himself as he started turning down the bed.

A soft electric jingle started playing from a corner of the room. Zenigata's head popped up and he quickly moved to the pile of clothes. In the pocket of his pants, Zenigata found his phone. With one conspicuous look back at the bathroom door, Zenigata grabbed the phone and climbed into bed. When Lupin came back he could hide the phone in the bedside table and his lover would never be the wiser. He quickly unlocked the phone and began answering the emails and texts that had started piling up.

Lupin scrubbed and rinsed himself briskly. He watched the leaves and flower petals flow between his feet to pile in the drain with an easy kind of humor. He was sure he'd be finding bits of foliage in his boxer shorts for days.

Lupin decided if he lingered under the spray much longer the water would go cold so he shut the water off and snatched up a towel on his way out to the bedroom proper. He toweled off his hair and left the towel draped over his head, leaving the rest of his body to drip dry. He emerged out of the bathroom in a puff of steam like a magician making a grand entrance and when he looked over to the bed in hopes of seeing Zenigata splayed out waiting for him, what he saw wiped the smile from his face. Zenigata, hunched over his phone, the one Lupin was sure he had chucked into the field earlier, and punching at the keyboard with his thumbs like a man possessed. Lupin laid his towel over his shoulders and stared at Zenigata with indignation.

"And where did that come from?" He asked. He planted his hands on his slim hips and waited impatiently. Zenigata's eyes went wide and he went ridged as soon as he heard Lupin's voice. He was sure he would have heard the shower cut off or the bathroom door open but once again he had been caught up in his work. He looked at Lupin and offered a sheepish grin.

"I... Uh... I found it. In the grass. When I was looking for my clothes." He explained as gently as he could. "I do need it for work."

Lupin wouldn't deny that part of the reason he was so upset by this turn of events was because he thought he had gotten his way. It was a childish thing to do but because of his impulsive choice things had turned out for the best. Lupin sometimes got a bee in his bonnet when a job he thought had been done to his satisfaction ended up going south. Lupin could not help the way he rolled his eyes. He crossed the floor with sure footsteps and bent at the waist to pluck the phone out of Zenigata's hand. He saw the momentary panic in the inspector's eyes and softened. The poor old man probably thought Lupin was going to throw it out the window this time. Instead, Lupin gently tossed the phone to the foot of the bed and said in his firm but somehow still flirty voice:

"And work is for out there. That's the rule." He tossed his head toward the window in an indication of the outside world. Lupin crawled into bed, taking up a position straddling Zenigata's lap.

"You getting bored with me?" It came out as a coquettish little pout but there was a secret truth behind the question that made Lupin go a little cold even as he dipped his head and kissed Zenigata's neck. As soon as Lupin was in his lap Zenigata's hands went to his lover's hips. This was not a new situation for them. Lupin had a habit of sitting in his lap and Zenigata liked it. The question was what truly surprised the inspector.

"Lupin. Of course I'm not bored with you." He sighed a little moan of pleasure as Lupin hit the juncture of his neck and shoulder. "Oh. I'd never get bored of- mmm- you."

Lupin continued his suckling kisses when he sensed he had a hold of Zenigata.

"Then you don't need any distractions, do you?" He hummed into the fresh clean skin. He scraped his teeth along Zenigata's throat and when Zenigata shivered in response, Lupin doubled down on his work. He closed his mouth over Zenigata's neck, sucking and swiping his tongue over the flesh there. Zenigata's eyes shut and another soft sigh of pleasure left him. Lupin knew just what to do to make him compliant.

"I don't want any distractions. Work just got in the way" He murmured. His head tilted his head back to give his lover better access. "Be careful. No marks." He reminded Lupin as he started to roll his hips against the other man.

That remark served to help bring Lupin out of the moment again. He wasn't very deep in, having found Zenigata on the stupid phone but he was hoping to put it behind him. Zenigata and his insistence that he never be caught sporting any love bites lest people start asking questions only made Lupin feel more rotten.

He didn't stop sucking, moving his mouth around less and focusing on one spot high on the side of Zenigata's neck. He wanted it to show. He wanted it to be noticed by Zenigata's cute little partner so he and anyone else who saw knew that Zenigata belonged to him. It was the least he deserved after being repeatedly ignored all night. Although no one would link it to Lupin directly, the thief considered it an act of rebellion. Lupin had a major back catalog of those and was always looking to add to it.

The feel of Lupin's mouth on Zenigata's neck was divine but the inspector wasn't sure his lover heard him when he had reminded him not to leave marks. He tilted his head away saying, "Lupin, you're gonna leave a mark. Stop."

Undeterred Lupin leaned into Zenigata, not letting up as he used his teeth to darken the mark. Zenigata yelped and grabbed Lupin by the shoulders to push him away. "What the hell? Cut that out. What's gotten into you?"

The look on Lupin's face was downright snotty. He wanted his way, as childish as it was, and Zenigata had already taken it from him once this evening.

"You did about an hour ago, but all that must've worn off with how uptight you're acting. S'just a little nibble. You don't have to be such a square about it." He scoffed. Lupin removed himself from Zenigata lap and sat at the side of the bed, ankle crossed over knee and arms folded tight. He looked away with a tight face and sighed hard through his nose. With his mouth open like a fish, Zenigata gaped at Lupin.

"What...What are you talking about? You know you can't leave marks like that. I can't explain them at work." He knelt up on the bed next to Lupin and tried to look at the other man. "I told you I'm sorry about the phone but you can't sabotage my work by leaving marks on me. Just calm down and come to bed."

Lupin turned further away, nose in the air. Zenigata had a knack for saying all the wrong things sometimes.

"Oh, so I'm sabotaging you now" Lupin snorted a mirthless laugh. "Sure, seems we both are letting our daytime habits in then. Want me to steal your wallet while I'm at it? Would that make you more comfortable or was chit-chatting with your new puppy our whole damn date enough?"

Lupin gave Zenigata a sideways glance through slit eyes. He could see the beginnings of a red mark, no bigger than a dime, on Zenigata's neck. He wondered if it would fade. He hoped not. Zenigata always went on about how love bites, especially ones showing up consistently, would make people talk. Lupin countered that by telling Zenigata that he should let them because it didn't matter in the long run. A mark like that could come from anyone. Thinking on it now, it was an oddly sobering thought. Anyone could leave a mark. Lupin wondered numbly if that little rule wasn't for prying eyes at the office and instead protection against jealous lovers.

"New puppy?" Zenigata asked. He almost gave a look around the room to confirm that Lupin didn't mean an actual puppy. As though this was some elaborate prank to present a puppy as a gift. That feeling was quickly squashed though. Lupin looked mad. Really mad. Poor Zenigata was in the dark as usual. "Lupin, I have no idea what you're talking about. Just tell me why you're acting like this."

Lupin did look at Zenigata then and in his eyes was a mix of indignation and actual surprise. He held his hands out in a gobsmacked gesture of rancor.

"Are you kidding me? You've been on the phone with your pretty boy partner all night, haven't you? Don't tell me, I know. It's for work. Sure. I've been letting it slide all night and I probably would have let you get away with it but... But come on, man! It's our anniversary!" Lupin took a breath and tried to control his temper. He only half succeeded. "I get it and I'm willing to take a back seat to your stupid sense of duty the rest of the year but did you really have to do this tonight?!"

Zenigata held back the exacerbated sigh that he really really wanted to let out. If he did, it would only make things worse. He would be as calm as he could be with Lupin. Calm like Buddha. Hell, he had once become a monk to pray for Lupin's soul when he thought the thief dead. If he could do that he could stay calm now.

"I already apologized. I have a hard time letting go of work." The inspector said calmly but it had the attitude of someone trying to placate a child. "The only reason I'm so caught up in this dumb wedding is I can't get back to your task force till it's done."

He was about to promise that he'd never do it again. That he had messed up his marriage with his obsession with work and he didn't want that to happen again. It was also going to be said that he cared about Lupin more than he had ever cared about anyone before. None of that came out though because something Lupin had said hit him suddenly like a small avalanche.

"Wait. Pretty boy partner? Are you talking about Yata?"

Lupin stood and walked across the room before Zenigata could reach out and touch him. He snatched up his boxer shorts and tugged them on. He was certainly not going to be naked if this fight was going where he thought it was. He'd feel absolutely stupid fighting in the nude like history's scrawniest Olympic athlete.

"Yes, I'm talking about Yata." He spat. He turned away to find his undershirt. Under his breath he growled "I get why you're confused. He's not the first pretty boy officer you've had falling all over themselves for you."

This wasn't about work, Lupin admitted to himself at last. Lupin was jealous and scared that Zenigata had his eye on someone else. His lover had become somewhat more confident in himself and the modest amount of animal magnetism he was capable of in the last year. Lupin had known his potential was there and it seemed as if others did too. Lupin didn't want to think about how the inspector himself might have outgrown Lupin if he had finally realized how desirable he could be.

The words of that Italian ICPO officer came back to Lupin as they had sporadically over the last six months. This time he had trouble dismissing it. He had told Lupin that Zenigata had had sex with him in the back room of a club. The confession had conviction and while Lupin knew where Zenigata had ended the night (in his arms in the inspector's Venice hotel room) he had no way of knowing where Zenigata had been just before.

Compounded with the bright and eager eyes of Yata when he spoke of his superior and Zenigata's near obsession with his phone and it was a dangerous cocktail of apparent evidence in Lupin's brain. This was all news to Zenigata who was used to wandering through life unnoticed. He grabbed his own boxers cause he'd be damned if he was gonna be the only naked person in this room.

"Yata is my partner. If you think we've been flirting that's not what's going on. He was updating me on the wedding situation. That's it." Gently he reached and took Lupin by the arm. "I've only talked to you and him tonight. A couple of emails to higher-ups but no one else." the inspector admitted the last part dryly. He smiled shyly at Lupin after. "There's no one else. Just you. It's only ever been you." He leaned in to take Lupin in his arms.

"Oh hell! If you're gonna bullshit me at least try to be original." Lupin yanked his arm free. "I'm definitely rubbing off on you. You think I'm really gonna fall for the old 'You're the only one for me, baby' routine when even I've used it a hundred times? That's what I get for getting you hyped up on what a stud you are. Only a matter of time before you'd trade up to a younger model and move on."

"Woah! Woah!" Zenigata said holding his hands up defensively. "This can't have come from just tonight. Where is this coming from? Where are you getting your information?'

"That kid back there. The Italian. Maggiorana or whoever. He said you two-" Lupin blinked back some undesirable emotion and pushed on. "Said you slept with him. Said you were so frustrated by all the stuff with the flowers that you had to get it out of your system."

Zenigata opened his mouth as if to retort but Lupin cut him off.

"He knew about your good suit." Lupin said as if that was the irrefutable evidence that Zenigata needed to hear.

"I..." Zenigata stumbled over what he could say. He never thought Maggiorana would say anything. At least he could clear things up. "I didn't sleep with him. It never got that far." He said but he couldn't look Lupin in the eye. Lupin wanted to believe that but the absolutely beaten expression Zenigata was wearing was like a dagger in his heart.

"Look at me," Lupin demanded. He took hold of Zenigata's shoulder and shook him a bit when Zenigata didn't. "Look me in the eye. Tell me you didn't put on that suit, the suit I gave you, and go out to some gay club in Venice. Tell me you didn't go into a back room with him."

Zenigata looked up at Lupin but he didn't say anything at first. His expression said it all. Guilt. Sadness. Disappointment.

"I thought you were playing some mean joke. I never thought you'd actually want me." The inspector defended himself. "All we did was kiss. I left as soon as I knew he couldn't replace you."

Lupin didn't know if he was satisfied or insulted by that answer. Admittedly, the two of them hadn't been together when the incident had happened but it still put a bad taste in his mouth. The whole response had.

"Who does that? Who is so totally emotionally stunted that they are given rooms full of flowers and love notes that are literal writing on the wall and thinks it's some nasty prank? Do you really think I'm that heartless?! And even worse, who responds to something like that by trying to fuck the guy working for you?!" Lupin didn't like swearing like that usually, but there was no better word for what Zenigata had been looking to do and he was sick of the inspector's inability to handle love in any meaningful way. Lupin threaded his fingers into his short hair and tugged gently in frustration.

"I didn't go looking for him. I just went out." Zenigata said flatly. He was hurt by Lupin's words. It wasn't like they had been friends before the flowers. Far from it. It really wasn't fair for him to make that assumption and honestly, it hit a bit close to home.

The older man turned and walked over to his desk. He pulled a briefcase up from underneath and placed it on the table before opening it. From inside he grabbed a small stack of magazines. Some glossy, some matte but all in full color. Zenigata shoved them into Lupin's hands. They were tabloids. All with brightly colored photos of Lupin with different women.

"I haven't been looking at anyone else but I know you can't say the same thing." His eyes were dark and angry. He pointed to the top one which featured Lupin in a convertible with Rebecca Rossellini. Lupin's arm was casually wrapped around her shoulder as they drove. The caption on the picture read "The thief and the princess back together? A night of romance says yes!" in big flashy letters meant to catch the attention of passers-by.

"Ya know she still calls herself Mrs. Lupin in some circles?" Zenigata grumbled. "Flip through the rest of them. Ms. Rossolini is on a few more covers. So is Fujiko. There are a few women I don't know in there too."

Lupin refused to let this be turned on him, especially when he had been the model boyfriend all night. Hell, he had been the model boyfriend since that first night in Venice! He threw the magazines down to the floor nearly as soon as put into his hands.

"This is all tabloid garbage. All that 'Mrs. Lupin' stuff is strictly Rebecca's baggage. You can't blame me for that. That's her own thing. We are over. We've been done for ages now. And you know Fujiko. Nothing is ever serious with her." He explained sourly. "Besides, how does any of that compare? All of that is work. Nothing more. We don't talk about that. It's definitely not the same thing as trawling for ass in a gay bar because you're some kind of sexually frustrated basket case!"

"And who's fault is that?" Zenigata said. He wished he was dressed. It felt odd to be almost naked and this angry. "I thought it was another one of your stupid games. You never take anything seriously. This whole thing is proof of that. We'd never be a 'normal' couple. Which is why it's better for you that you can't be seen with your basket case boyfriend!" He threw his arms in the air out of frustration. This was all too much. "Was the reason you didn't wanna tell your gang about me because you were embarrassed or you didn't want Jigen to stop fucking you?"

Lupin's mouth fell open in total shock. To hear Zenigata use such poisonous language was a little stupefying. Lupin's agreement with Jigen had come up during the disastrous meeting with Zenigata and the gang back in Cologne but the subject had never been broached again and Lupin hoped it was water under the bridge with the inspector. Now it plus the admission of their abnormality and the accusation of being embarrassed by Zenigata had been a powerful combination and it left Lupin's heart feeling absolutely shredded. He fought back to keep the hurt at bay.

"We aren't sleeping together anymore! I ended all that the minute you and me got together! How's THAT for serious? But shoot me for trying, why don't you? Hey, since all bets are off why don't you tell me how long you've been wanting to jump your little rookie's bones?" He spat. Lupin jabbed a finger of accusation at Zenigata and sneered. He could feel his ears going red with heat and anger. "He's real cute and if he's anything like the Italian he'll do anything to please."

Zenigata was surprised at the words that had come out of his mouth but he was even more surprised at what Lupin was accusing him of. He knocked Lupin's hand away.

"I have never looked at Yata like that. I don't even know if he likes men. The fact that you're actually jealous of me is laughable." He grumbled as he glared at his lover. "I should be the jealous one with the way you flirt. I haven't even looked at anyone else but that stack of magazines says you have."

"And your track record says you have a habit of making out with your partners so I'd say that's a little more damning than some trashy news rags!" Lupin shot back without hesitation. As they often did, Lupin's passionate emotions were taking him for a ride. He had the flaw of being ruled by the loudest voice in his mind when he was upset and currently the one screaming above all the others said that Lupin was right and it was drowning out any other argument Zenigata had to make. "I call em like I see em, pal. You got bored with Officer Venice and you'll get bored with me once I can't replace your newest boy toy!"

"I TOLD YOU NOTHING HAPPENED WITH HIM!" Zenigata finally exploded. His face was red and the inspector was sure there was steam coming out of his ears. "Stop acting like a child!! I haven't looked at anyone else but when you act like this I wish I would!! I wish that I could just push you aside! You ruined my career and you ruined my marriage! I wish they'd never put me on your case!"

Zenigata snapped his mouth shut and he closed his eyes. He hadn't meant that. His marriage had been one of obligation and his career hadn't ever really suffered. There were some jokes made here and there but it wasn't that bad. He knew he should apologize but he was still mad. Instead, he turned away and moved to sit on the bed.

"Get out, Lupin. Come back when you've calmed down. We can talk then." He said this solemnly as he slumped onto the mattress, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands.

Lupin had still had loads of ammunition. When he wanted to fight he could dig his heels in for hours. He was ready to tell Zenigata that he had created a monster of a smooth operator when he had deigned to give the inspector the time of day. He would vow that Lupin The Third would not be played like this! But any more arguments died on his lips when Zenigata had come unhinged like that. He could say whatever he wanted about Lupin's habits of love and it would only give Lupin more fuel to continue the argument. Lupin was a natural born fighter and not ashamed of his lifestyle. But to say in so many words that Zenigata wished they had never met hit with the pain and suddenness of a metal slug.

Lupin hesitated and just stood there, arms coming up to cradle his spare form as if he were protecting himself from the words. He felt cold and numb and his muscles were tensed. Again that hurt came back and threatened to spill out of Lupin and send him to pieces and once again the stubborn refusal to let go of his anger pushed him through it, the way adrenaline carries a runner through the final miles of a marathon, and back out the other side to obstinacy. He doubled down on it.

Lupin snatched his pants from the chair they were slung over and hurried to yank them on. He zipped but didn't button them and he left his belt undone.

"I won't bother! You clearly don't want me around!" He shouted as he gathered the rest of his clothes into a heap under his arms and stepped into his shoes, sockless and untied. He continued to rant, crossing the room and stepping on the scattered tabloids along the way. "That's just fine by me! We're done, Zenigata! Done!"

Zenigata's head popped up and he stared at Lupin's disheveled form. This was nothing like when his ex-wife had told him she was done. He had nodded then. He had quietly signed the papers then gone back to work. The inspector didn't want that end now. He wanted to run after Lupin and take him in his arms. He wanted to apologize. Promise never to say such hurtful things again as long as Lupin stayed with him. It was held back though. After what he had said to his lover Zenigata didn't feel like he deserved to be forgiven. If Lupin was so ready to listen to liars and come up with these crazy conclusions then maybe he didn't want to be with Zenigata anymore. It seemed better in his mind to let go of someone he loved this much than force him to stay.

"Fine." It came out weak and choked from the emotion. Zenigata hoped that Lupin didn't notice. He said it again more firmly. "Fine. Then we go back to how things were. This year didn't happen."

He hung his head and hoped Lupin wouldn't look back.

That hurt most of all. Lupin hesitated by the window with one hand on the frame and stared out into the night. He wanted to look back but didn't. It was easier for Lupin to take it as a final verbal jab on his ego than a sorrowful regret so he did.

"Fine." He agreed through his teeth. Lupin was so upset he felt like his hair was standing on end. He disregarded the strangled sound in Zenigata's voice that made Lupin want to fall to his knees and embrace the inspector and left through the window down the fire escape. Even distraught as he was, Lupin didn't make a sound when he disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

It was past one when Lupin entered the apartment. He slammed the door behind him. Jigen, who had never made it to bed and had elected to fall asleep stretched out on the couch, sat up with a sudden jolt and a bleary half wakeful snort. On instinct, he reached for his waistband, despite there being no gun there but untensed when he saw who it was.

Lupin stomped in from the entrance of the apartment. He looked a shambles with his shirt on but untucked and unbuttoned. His coat and tie were crumpled in his fists tightly. Jigen watched him slam them down on the bar as he passed it. Jigen could see Lupin's ankle peeking out below the hem of his slacks. The thief's ears were red and he wore a murderous expression. Lupin went right past Jigen as if the gunman weren't in the room. Jigen followed Lupin with his gaze.

"You're home early. Did something happen, boss?" Jigen asked with a mild kind of concern. Lupin had made it to the door of his room and he turned a livid look on his partner. Jigen could see Lupin bristling with fury.

"You always say women aren't trustworthy. Well, neither are men!" He hollered and slammed the door. Jigen winced. For just a moment he wondered what happened with Pops and Lupin but he had seen the two fight before. Lupin had never been this mad but he knew how childish the thief could be some times. Whatever little fight the lovers were in would pass by tomorrow.

Tipping his hat over his face Jigen laid back down on the couch. This would all blow over by morning.

  
It didn't blow over by morning.

When Lupin wasn't up by noon, Jigen knew something was wrong. Baring hangovers, Lupin was actually an early riser. Earlier than anyone else in the gang at least. Waking up to quiet was rare. The gunman looked around the apartment and was surprised to find Lupin's clothes still on the bar.

It was possible that Lupin had gone out. Maybe he had made up with Pops. Jigen had to admit he was getting a tad antsy with no jobs and he'd be happy to either move on or do something.

Jigen opened the door to the bedroom. There was Lupin, wrapped in a blanket like a caterpillar in a cocoon. The blanket cocoon shifted and a sad sigh followed by a soft sob emitted from it. Rolling his eyes Jigen reached into the inside coat pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He proceeded to light up as more depressed sounds came from the cocoon.

"Alright. What happened?" He asked with a sigh. The shape lay still for a moment.

"Nothing. Nothing happened. I just...went out ...saw some new faces..." The voice beneath the blanket laughed humorlessly at some perceived play on words in its statement then sniffled a bit more. A pause. Then, whether alerted by the click of the lighter moments ago or the scent of smoke reaching the sniffling nose added: "Can I have one of those?"

Jigen puffed on his cigarette. "Not until you tell the truth. I don't reward liars. Besides you still owe me for last month when you smoked a half pack of mine when we couldn't get yours." He glowered at the pile of blankets with a man inside.

Lupin sat up. He gathered the blanket around his shoulders as a troubled king might gather his cloak. His nose was red and his eyes sunken. Lupin hadn't slept in almost twenty-four hours and it showed.

"Men are terrible." He pouted. After a few more moments staring into the middle distance, he said a little softer "We broke up."

Lupin extended his hand for the cigarette somberly. He didn't look up. That was not what Jigen had been expecting. He has actually sort of rooting for the couple at this point. It was still risky and he'd never really understood how this all worked out the way it did, but Lupin seemed happy.

"Well damn." Jigen shook his head as he sat down on the bed. He handed Lupin a cigarette and waited for the man to place it to his lips before lighting it. "So do I need to shoot him in the balls?"

Lupin took a drag but it was not a very deep one. He gave another mirthless chuckle and punctuated his words with a wave of his cigarette. The smoke cut a trail through the air.

"Yes. No... I don't know." He sighed. Lupin gingerly cradled his forehead with the cigarette dangling from his fingers. He snuffled again. "We were doing so good..."

With a soft huff, Jigen awkwardly patted Lupin on the back. "I know. I was actually kinda surprised you guys lasted this long." The gunman bit his tongue. "I mean you guys were pretty good together. It sucks it didn't work out." He continued to pat Lupin's back and smoke quietly for a moment. "I really will shoot him in the balls for you if you want."

Lupin smiled a bit, although it was still sad. He could tell Jigen was trying and he appreciated it.

"Thanks." He puffed on the cigarette occasionally stopping to rub his eyes with the heel of his hand. Jigen ceased the patting and sat there beside Lupin. He wasn't good at all this emotional stuff but he knew his friend needed him. Turning to Lupin he tried to effect a sympathetic smile. Unfortunately, it was a bit on the scary side.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked but it came as though he was begging Lupin to say no. Lupin was going to refuse. He knew how tough this kind of stuff could be for Jigen. But the both of them had been through too many of Lupin's breakups to think it could go any other way. Lupin bit his lip as if he were trying to keep it in but it boiled up and out of him with an almost visible severity.

"That son of a bitch! It was our anniversary last night. You know that? And that bastard thought he be could be on his phone doing work garbage all night. Least he said it was work. Probably talking to his cute little partner." He squawked. He kicked his feet out from the blanket and sat with them over the edge of the bed. He took a longer drag on his smoke now. He was bemoaning now with a shift so sudden it almost gave Jigen conversational whiplash. "Oh God, he's a babe, Jigen! And he's super smitten with Pops, I can just tell! Zenigata must eat it up. That son of a bitch..."

Lupin's cigarette was already down to a near nub and Jigen had wordlessly grabbed the ashtray from the window sill for Lupin to stab the butt into and grind it to death.

"You know they go drinking together after work? He told me so." He added. He chewed his index fingernail. His mind was beginning to get wound around itself like tangled Christmas lights, blinking and impossible to undo. Automatically Jigen offered Lupin a fresh cigarette. He was trying his best to make the right noises at the right time. To look disapprovingly when it seemed right and to shake his head sagely but part of what Lupin said didn't sit well with Jigen.

"Wait. You think Pops cheated on you? Are we talking about the same Pops?"

Lupin let Jigen put the cigarette in his mouth and it bobbed as he spoke making it impossible for Jigen to light it in the wavering flame of his lighter.

"I'm pretty sure he slept with that Italian cop the night him and I got together the first time. He denies it, of course, but I know they were together. So who's to say he's not sweet-talking this new one too?!" Lupin nodded his head tensely as if he had already had made up his mind. "Twice. In one night. With two different guys. Can you believe it?!"

"No. I can't believe it." Jigen said. The thought of goofball Zenigata getting in bed with two different men was impossible for him to wrap his brain around. A glare from Lupin reminded him he was supposed to be the sympathetic ear. "I mean....uh... How could he! What a jerk!"

Lupin's mood was on a pendulum and it swung back from anger to sullenness. He kept talking, tossing his head back and forth in contemplation.

"I really know how to pick em, huh? What was I thinking? I mean, you know Pops. Who'd've thought-" Lupin paused when Jigen, quite annoyed at this point by the moving target, held Lupin's jaw to light his cigarette. Lupin let him, humbled by the kind gesture he had ignored. "Who'd've thought he was such a masher?"

Lupin's eyes went soft and he returned his gaze to the middle distance.

"He was always so noble. Not a nasty bone in his body. You got to understand, Jigen. He's the most gentle guy. He likes to be the little spoon, for Christ sake. When he kissed me it was like dynamite or something-"

Jigen visibly bristled at that. He didn't want to know about Zenigata in bed. Even after sleeping with Lupin for years that never made it out of the bedroom. He sprung up from the bed.

"Nope. Nope. Can't do it. Can't do it. Nope." The gunman said over and over again as he hurried out the door and shut it behind him. Lupin stared after Jigen before stubbing out his cigarette and climbing back into his sadness cocoon.

It was ten minutes later when the door burst open and Jigen came in. Lupin's head popped out of the blankets like a depressed turtle. Hanging on Jigen's arms were several bags from the mini-mart down the street. He sat down on the bed and started unpacking the bags. He removed two packs of Lupin's preferred cigarettes, Gitanes, and placed them in front of the other man. He then pulled several bottles of cheap red wine from the other bags. Without saying a word he left then came back a moment later with two tumblers and a corkscrew. He grabbed the first bottle and opened it before filling both tumblers. One was presented to Lupin. The thief accepted it with a surprised look on his face. The other Jigen quickly drained then refilled before he sat down again. 

"Ok. I'm ready now. Tell me every stupid, cutesy thing about him and how awful and stupid he is." Jigen said before knocking back half the glass of wine in a very determined fashion. Lupin, who had resigned himself to a long and lonely afternoon of moping, swallowed hard. His lower lip poked out and he nodded his head before drinking deeply from his glass.

"Thanks Jigen."

The pair settled into a well-practiced dance. Lupin would bemoan the sorry state of his love life and Jigen would be there to offer what little emotional support he could (no matter how often he was forced to practice, Jigen could never get the hang of being the sympathetic voice) as well as make sure Lupin's glass was full and his cigarettes lit. Once he was in the groove, Jigen found it easier to anticipate Lupin's needs and the afternoon rolled into the evening with only a short break for Jigen to order take away food.

Lupin barely picked at his food, insisting he was too distraught to eat and opting instead to have wine and cigarettes for dinner.

"Was he setting up a playdate with pretty boy for after I left or something? Is that why he was on the phone? There is no way right? That's just too heartless." Lupin had only just come to the end of another explosive rant. Like a rolling sea, Lupin had been all ups and downs between his contempt for Zenigata and regretful pining for what he was leaving behind. The wine had both soothed and fueled his rhetoric. Lupin fell to his side with his head in Jigen's lap sighing hard.

"It's just so unfair..." He lamented.

"Life's not fair sometimes, Boss." Jigen said patting Lupin on the shoulder. He finished his pizza and placed the plate on the bedside table. Over the hours of talking they'd worked through four bottles of wine together and Jigen had to admit he was pretty drunk. The flush on the bridge of Lupin's nose told him that his boss was also far gone.

Careful to not dislodged Lupin, Jigen grabbed another bottle and popped it open. He freshened their glasses and kept rubbing Lupin's shoulder to reassure his friend. Lupin rolled onto his back. He sipped from his glass with over careful moments to keep from spilling in his reclined state.

"You know what he said? He said I was embarrassed by him. Said that I didn't want to tell you guys about him and me because I wanted to keep sleeping with you." He told Jigen. Jigen laughed.

"Yeah right. If he knew how you talk about him all the time he'd never say that." He waved his drink around as he spoke. "If he did do something stupid like fuck around on you then he didn't deserve you."

"That's right. Dumbass. Talk about projecting. If I wanted to sleep with you again I'da had plenty of chance. But I didn't..." Lupin looked up at Jigen as he spoke. He rested his glass on his stomach. His brow knit tightly in exasperation. After draining his glass Jigen made a satisfied sound.

"Yeah, I guess. Wasn't like I was far off. Don't worry about it, boss. There's plenty of fish in the sea." He reached for the bottle again. They'd probably be hung over tomorrow but he was hoping Lupin would be in better spirits. Maybe he'd even go back and make up with Pops. Jigen was feeling pretty good about himself and his counseling skills.

Lupin's hand was around Jigen's wrist before the man could retrieve the wine bottle and the thief used it to pull Jigen down as he sat up. Their lips met in the middle in an urgent kiss. Jigen blinked in surprise. This was the last thing he'd be expecting. A heartbroken Lupin laying a kiss on him was not part of the plan. He pulled away and stuttered: "Wh-what the hell are you doing, Lupin?"

Lupin seemed unperturbed by his actions. He took a large gulp of his wine, swallowed then took another big enough to drain the glass. He struggled to sit up as his head was spinning and he dropped the glass to the carpet.

"I'm single now, remember? If that bastard's gonna say I'm sleeping with you, I'm not gonna make him a liar." Lupin took Jigen's face in both hands and kissed him again. "He doesn't need help with that..." He added sourly. With his one free hand, Jigen grabbed Lupin by the shoulder and pushed him away. Holding the other man at arm's length he shook his head. 

"That's a really bad idea. We are way too drunk." He slurred.

"I'm definitely the right amount of drunk." Lupin reasoned. He easily flicked the button on one of Jigen's cuffs open and ran his palm up and along Jigen's forearm. Even drunk, Lupin's hand was deft and agile as he pushed the sleeve up to Jigen's elbow in an effort to get to the firm flesh beneath. Lupin normally intelligent smile was somewhat muted by the enticing way he bit his lower lip. Lupin went in for another kiss.

Jigen let himself be kissed this time. His eyes stayed open as he observed the thief. If this was what Lupin wanted maybe he should comply. It would be a lie if he said that he didn't miss their agreement. Besides he was drunk and it had been a while since he had had any intimate contact. His body remembered how good Lupin felt. To his chagrin, his own body was reacting accordingly.

The gunman wanted to smother Lupin with hot needy kisses until the other man was gasping and mewling the way he did. He wanted to strip that beautiful lithe body bare and feel it beneath his calloused fingers. Soft yet hard and oh so hot. All of this before he'd flip Lupin over and push inside that hot tight nirvana, growling obscenities and luscious dirty talk into the ear of the man beneath him. Remembering the feeling of that long slim back arching as he grabbed Lupin's hips to slam harder inside was almost Jigen's undoing. Luckily his brain reminded him there would be a morning after. Lupin would be devastated and Jigen would be the cad that let it happen. Jigen pulled away and looked at Lupin seriously.

"You're gonna regret this." He said. "I know this seems like a good idea right now Lupin but tomorrow you're gonna hate yourself and you're gonna hate me even more. So let's cut this out, ok?"

Lupin face was a flush red study first of protest then moodiness, strife and finally difficult acceptance. He struggled with Jigen's words but they were mostly sinking in it seemed. He let his hands drop from Jigen's shoulders and fall into his lap. He heaved a sigh and at last sat up.

"You're right. I'm wasted. This was a bad idea. Sorry, Jigen. I'm just.... really down in the dumps on this. I screwed up royal. Guess I just wanted to feel like things were back to old times or something..." Lupin's heart thumped with a cold pain and his eyes prickled with tears he kept at bay. Tears would be too much for his friend, Lupin knew. "Like the last year never happened."

Lupin bent over and threaded his fingers together on the back of his neck. He stared at the floor between his knees then closed his eyes tight in case gravity got the best of his already wet eyes and coaxed a tear from them.

"Come on. Let's get you to bed." Jigen said after a minute. He could see how upset Lupin was. It must have been a bad fight and Lupin was still clearly in love with Zenigata. "We're already gonna be hung over tomorrow. Might as well get it over with."

Lupin growled in an impotent gesture of frustration. He stood, wobbled but kept his footing.

"This sucks!" He shouted at the ceiling. That seemed to be all he had in him to say as he slumped in a defeated posture.

"Yup. If you let someone in it hurts like hell." Jigen agreed as he stood and fixed up the bed for Lupin. "Now get in the bed, you drunk."

Without looking back, Lupin collapsed into the bed. He knew it would be turned down and ready for him. The two men knew each other so well and that had made anticipating the other's moves a certainty. Jigen was nothing if not reliable and what he lacked in empathy he made up for in loyalty.

"You sure are the motivational speaker." Lupin pronounced flatly. He wondered for half a second if he, Lupin, was one of the names of Jigen's long list of people who had hurt him. That possibility made Lupin feel even worse and he at once pushed the thought away. Jigen pulled up the blankets over Lupin.

"That's not why you keep me around. Now shut up and get to sleep." He started to the door but paused after he opened it. Without turning around he said. "I'll be in the next room if you need me."

"Yeah. Sure." Lupin tried to make it sound casual but his mind warred with the words and whether Jigen was offering his shoulder to cry on or dropping a hint if either of them should change their minds on a drunken rendezvous. Lupin decided he was being foolish and dismissed that notion before it took root. Lupin rolled over to face the wall and his world spun gently. He heard Jigen move to leave and called after him.

"Hey, uh...Jigen?"

The gunman stopped halfway out the door. He leaned back to look at Lupin. One eyebrow raised under his hat to reveal a dark eye that looked at Lupin quizzically. "What's up, boss?"

"Sorry. About everything between you and me, I mean." Lupin said weakly. If Jigen had ever once felt about Lupin as the thief felt about Zenigata right now, Lupin didn't know how the gunman could stand to look at him. Lupin's heart ached with the prospect of it and he wished he could articulate it better but the wine was pickling his brain and all that could seep through was the basic emotions the thought conjured. Lupin curled in on himself. The despondency felt heavy on him. Jigen deflated a bit. 

"Well... I knew what I was getting into with us. Wasn't no love story. It was... What it was." He started to go but stopped once more. "You are a hard guy to forget though. I'm sure he'll remember that." And with that, he left.

  
When Jigen opened his eyes the next morning his head throbbed. His mouth was dry with the taste of stale wine and so many cigarettes. Even he felt like someone had dumped an ashtray into his mouth. His stomach gurgled as he rolled over in bed and he made a low pained sound as he sat up. He couldn't really remember how many bottles of wine he had drunk last night but it had been too much.

Through his hung over haze the blessed smell of coffee had slipped in under the door. If Lupin was up and making coffee he must be in a better mood than he was the night before. Jigen smiled. Lupin was never knocked down for long. Jigen pulled some pants on and grabbed a fresh shirt. He'd usually be fine wandering around the apartment shirtless but after Lupin's come on last night he decided to not throw gas on any fires.

When he stepped out of the room he was amazed by the chaos. There were papers and maps all along one wall with string connecting certain places. Other papers on the wall had circles and scribbles all over them. I'm the middle of the room sat Lupin next to an empty carafe of coffee. The man was shaking slightly as he stared at the wall.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Jigen asked as his eyes traveled over all the madness.

"I got it!" Lupin didn't look away from his work, except to look down into a rumpled travel guide to double check something Jigen had no clue of before repeating: "Now I got it! The bastard isn't going to know what hit him!"

To Jigen Lupin looked a bit unhinged. He gave the other man a wide berth as he came to stand by him. "Hey, boss." He said cautiously. "You doin' ok? Whatcha got?"

Lupin looked over to his partner nodding and chewing on his lower lip.

"Oh, I'm doing great! Been up and planning this since four! Pops says the last year didn't happen? Well, he's going to get my A game then. No pulling punches. Not for my nemesis..." Lupin's eyes were blazing and Jigen could see the wheels turning at an alarming rate. Jigen looked again at the mash of papers attached to the living room wall. He saw a map of Madrid at the center with a route marked off in wax pencil. Jigen could see where the route had been erased and redrawn several times and there were circles around various stops on the route. A length of string connected each of these stops to a bundle of papers on a different part of the wall. Jigen saw floorplans and blueprints as well as pictures of what he assumed were possible targets. They included statues and artwork depicting lovers and gardens and white flowers and diamond jewelry, mostly rings with the occasional sapphire amongst them.

There were easily half a dozen clusters of papers on the wall orbiting the map. There were enough jobs here to last Lupin and Jigen for two weeks. The thought of actually getting to do a job was appealing to Jigen but all this seemed excessive. Jobs thought up by a lovesick, sleep deprived, vengeance-seeking Lupin also felt like a bad idea.

"I see all the work you did but it seems like a lot to pull off in the next few weeks." Jigen spoke to Lupin the way one would when coaxing a small child out of throwing a temper tantrum. "I'm sure we can find another way to mess with Pops so we don't get caught."

"I can get it all done in one day. Today. Right now." Lupin said with soft conviction. He turned to cross the room to the bar where he had left his coat on the night of his date.

"What!? Lupin there's no way you could do all these jobs at once!" Jigen exclaimed. He was sure now that Lupin had lost his mind. Lupin reeled on Jigen. His jacket was crushed in his fist and it tossed helplessly in his grasp as he came back to his partner. He motioned to his elaborate wall of plans again.

"Of course I can! That's the whole point! Zenigata is insisting he's up to his eyeballs in work. Well, that's exactly what he's going to get. As long as I stick to this route, I'm going to leave a trail of chaos behind me that he's never seen before!" He declared. He began to point at the circled landmarks at their corresponding bundle of papers. Jigen followed Lupin's finger to pages torn from travel and art books. Among them, Jigen saw a print of a baroque era painting. Noblemen and women frolicked in an idyllic garden. They were surrounded by unarguable symbols of love: cupids, doves and flower crowns.

"I'm barreling straight through the museum golden triangle of Madrid! I'm starting at the Prado Museum. The Garden of Love is just asking to be taken with that shoddy security. Then there's a painted fan that Ferdinand The Second gave to his wife Isabella Castile in the museum of Romanticism!" Lupin seemed to sneer through that last word a bit. "Then back to my sappy friend Rubens for his canvas of Venus and Cupid at the Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza. And that's just the first leg! The royal theatre is performing Romeo and Juliet this season! Good luck without the sheet music! The Madrid Fashion Museum has a Pronovias veil encrusted with pearls and a few of Alberto Ribera's original wedding gowns and I finish it all off in the Salamanca district. There's always wedding bands up for grabs with that many boutique jewelry shops around...."

Following Lupin's hand in his frenzy, Jigen felt mounting frustration as the thief rattled on about his insane plan.

"So let me get this straight." Jigen said in a flat nonplus voice. "You're going to steal artwork about love, gifts from a married couple, sheet music from a romantic opera, a wedding veil, a wedding gown and wedding rings. I'm picking up a theme here."

Lupin turned to Jigen and clapped him hard on the shoulder. He spoke with a confidence and matter of fact easiness that was in character for him. Jigen had seen it many times when Lupin was particularly proud of an upcoming job but there was something a bit too practiced in the thief's body language.

"You were right, Jigen. Letting someone love you is nothing but a hassle. It's dangerous! For the birds! So I say, down with love. This is the new Lupin the Third manifesto." He turned away quickly once that thought had come out and Lupin itched along his hairline distractedly.

That was concerning. Lupin was the champion of love. Jigen had never in their time together heard Lupin speak an ill-intended word towards that particular emotion. No matter how down Jigen got on the idea of romance and love, Lupin would never allow foul language against his true driving motivation.

"Pops really messed you up that bad, huh?" He said quietly without looking at Lupin. Lupin looked over his shoulder. Jigen could tell he was visibly annoyed. The daggers in his stare were nothing short of stilettos, slight but deadly.

"I don't care about that!" He spat the words then caught himself "It doesn't matter why I'm doing it. I'm doing it! I mean...no better way to let the world know my new stance than stealing love itself."

Lupin bit his thumbnail and his brow furrowed. He tried unconvincingly to make it sound like the notion of how the heist would affect Zenigata was brand new and hadn't occurred to him until now.

"I suppose it doesn't hurt that it'll really get back at Pops. The jerk. He'll be so busy dealing with me he won't have time to play with his little boyfriends! He wants frustrated, I'll give him frustrated!"

"Yeah. Sounds like it's got nothing to do with Pops." Jigen said sarcastically. He didn't like this "new Lupin". This was all going to lead to burn out and a burnt out Lupin had a tendency to get caught. "You need to calm down, man. If you try to do this you'll definitely get yourself into trouble. Zenigata is probably as angry as you are so he's gonna be twice as obsessed with catching you. Just wait til the heats off and we can do... Whatever this is."

That statement gave Lupin pause. Lupin could only imagine what Zenigata was up to now. He wondered if he had been so profoundly affected by all of this as Lupin had. Lupin had even had a dream about it. The thief rarely dreamed so maybe it was the cheap wine or stress that had set it off. It had been terrible.

Lupin had been in a dark and foreboding nightclub. It was something inky and ever-shifting between the discotecques he had frequented more often in his younger days and the more modern black box dance clubs he had very seldom gone to and only then for work. The dazzle and sparkle of disco balls warred with neon laser beams, pulsing in and out but never actually illuminating enough to see the surroundings or the writhing shifting bodies of people dancing all around Lupin. They pushed and jostled Lupin, anonymous hands pulling at Lupin's clothes and brushing hot fingertip over his skin. The touches made him feel dirty and wrong. He could hear the sighs and moans of men not yet drowned out by the thump of a bass beat like war drums but he couldn't make anyone out beyond indistinct forms tossing and swaying.

And far out in the crowd, standing in his good grey suit was Zenigata. He was half turned away from Lupin but was looking right at him with a cold desire that both enticed and repulsed Lupin at the same time. Zenigata remained stock still in the crowd a moment, not a single hand touching him then he slowly turned away and began to walk deeper into the crowd.

Lupin tried to call after him but his throat was suddenly tight. He coughed then swallowed hard around sometimes lodged in his throat before he tried again.

"Pops!" Lupin shouted and he couldn't hear his voice over the loud pulsing music. He started after the inspector's retreating form. The hands of those around Lupin continued to yank and tug at him, hindering his movements but Lupin shrugged them away and continued. He was finding it harder to breathe as he went and he coughed again, harder this time. He rushed after Zenigata but it always seemed as if the man was a step ahead. Lupin slowed and stopped as a fit of coughing wracked his body. He lowered his head and lost sight of the inspector in the crowd. Lupin wrapped an arm around his middle and coughed into his hand until something marched up his throat and out his mouth. Lupin pulled his hand away and stared in disbelief when he saw a handful of silken yellow flower petals. They were jonquil flowers.

Lupin's hands jerked away in surprise and the petals dispersed and floated to the ground, all while Lupin wheezed and panted now able to breathe but still not rid of the terrible tightness in his throat. The thief looked up to see Zenigata nowhere to be found. He continued to shove his way through the crowd. The suffocating feeling in his chest grew again and Lupin coughed up more flowers. He shivered at the strange softness in his mouth but spit them out undeterred.

Just when he thought there would be no end to the sea of people holding Lupin back the thief broke through the crowd and stood before Zenigata who was seated in a low alcove. His feet were up on the coffee table and his legs were spread in a lewd masculine power stance. Everything slowed down around them. The dancers and lights fell to a slow-motion crawl.

Zenigata was now wearing the leather mask Lupin had given him the night they had stepped out as Mr. Jonquil and Mr. Lupine. It was as it had been when Zenigata had shown it to Lupin on the streets of Cologne, with the dirt of a partial shoe print marring one side and a bullet hole above the left eye. A young man was curled up to Zenigata's body on either side and the inspector had his arms stretched around them.

On Zenigata's right side was Yata. He was dressed in an opulent geisha's kimono, black and printed with enormous mint green carnations. The kimono was falling around Yata's shoulders in a sordid way, revealing the rich layers of robes in red and gold beneath the black. His shoulders and collarbone were flawless and pale. A green carnation was tucked behind his ear. His lips glistened wet and he ignored Lupin, choosing to gaze at Zenigata through eyes lined at the corner with red shadow. One of his legs was stuck out from the folds of his kimono and tucked up against Zenigata's hip. The inspector held his creamy thigh.

On Zenigata's left was Maggiorana in some scandalous parody of his Italian police uniform mixed with BDSM gear. He shorts were tight leather, and short enough to cause the bottom of his ass to hang out. Zenigata left his hand rest on the swell of it. Maggiorana's jackboots hugged his calves. The buttons of his too tight dress shirt were undone and beneath he had a white leather chest harness. Lupin saw a sprig of pink marjoram flower at the front of his peaked cap. Maggiorana had his cap high back on his head and his eyebrow piercing glinted in the light. A chain went from the piercing to a stud on Maggiorana's nose. He looked cheap and obscene and proud of it as he clung to Zenigata's side.

Both men curled against Zenigata. They ran their fingers through his hair and kissed his neck softly. Lupin saw love bites on the inspector's throat. The whole time, Zenigata stared at Lupin hard. His eyes were cold and his smile held a nasty mirth.

"Who's that, Koichi?" Yata cooed. Lupin coughed hard and the petals came fluttering down. He clutched at his own throat and struggled to speak.

"Nobody I couldn't replace." Was Zenigata's answer. The words reached Lupin's ear and suddenly it was like a blow had connected. Lupin's shoulder jerked back and he stumbled. Righting himself, he held the spot on his shoulder where he had felt the hit. Lupin looked to see more yellow flower petals drifting from a bullet hole and between his fingers.

"You sure? He looks like he really needs you." Maggiorana's accent pronounced the words in a mocking singsong.

"Shame. Cause I don't need him." Zenigata replied. He never looked away from Lupin. The recoil was harder this time. A direct hit to Lupin's ribs. It sent him to the ground. He struggled to his hands and knees, coughing harder and sending yellow jonquil petals fluttering to all around. He could feel the flowers filling his lungs now. Lupin struggled to breathe, gasping. His sharp inhale only made it worse and Lupin dropped his head to hack up another mass of flower petals.

The flowers were gathering into piles around his knees and between his braced arms, pouring from the two bullet wounds and scarcely giving Lupin room to inhale before another choking wretch left him vomiting soft beautiful petals. His nose was filling with the acrid perfume of jonquils now and he could taste it in his mouth like bitter acid.

Lupin lifted his head to look to Zenigata. He tried to speak but all that came out was a pitiful desperate rasp. He was reduced to begging for help with his eyes, streaming with tears as they were. His plea returned only a heartless smile from the inspector. Lupin lifted a hand out to Zenigata mournfully.

"He was nothing but a distraction."

The invisible bullet found its mark. It shot through Lupin's chest and kicked up a cloud of golden petals all around him that danced through the air. Pain. Deep intense pain in his heart and the scent of jonquils were all Lupin knew before he collapsed to the floor.

The nightmare had woke Lupin in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Unable to go back to sleep, it set Lupin to pacing. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt about his situation. He couldn't fight the sour pit in his stomach and all the stress and worry only served to get him more and more worked up. Some might call it small and unreasonable to be angry at someone for the way they acted in a dream but it only served to add fuel to the fire in Lupin's hurt ego and heart.

Now in the light of day, it felt a little less painful but as always, anyone telling Lupin what to do made Lupin wanted to double down and do it twice as fast. The rational side of Lupin was often no match for the more stubborn aspects of his character. He hoped Zenigata hadn't slept. He hoped that he was just as much of a wreck as Lupin was over all this. And if he wasn't, the thief would make sure he was.

Lupin planted his hands on his hips and turned on his heel to face Jigen.

"You know I've never worried about Zenigata screwing up my plans. I'm not going to start now." He told the gunman. There was a sternness there in his attitude; a take no prisoners resolve, but Jigen couldn't tell if it was for him or Lupin himself.

Jigen sighed heavily. He looked at the insane plan tacked up on the wall and shook his head. He wanted to back out but the last time he has done that when Lupin had been upset about his relationship they'd all been collared in Germany. They didn't even have Fujiko or Goemon as back up this time. "Alright. I'm in." He said with a sigh. "But I want a sixty-forty split cause of the risk."

Lupin looked at his partner with genuine confusion. At last, the information clicked into place. He returned to studying his plans.

"Oh no, Jigen. This is a solo job. This is way too risky to get you involved. I never planned for you to come along. Don't take it personal or anything. I've got a bit of a score to settle and you..." Lupin was rather pragmatic until he trailed off and became engrossed in some detail up on the wall. The thought was left unspoken in the air: You'd slow me down.

Jigen was always a bit amazed by their near-telepathic friendship that had formed over the years and he was sure he knew what Lupin was about to say. "Yeah. Yeah. You think you can handle all of this by yourself. Hope you don't need someone to bail your ass out." He grumbled. The gunman would have been madder if he has actually wanted to do the job but this was a blessing in disguise. His grumble gained no attention from Lupin. "Hey! Hey Lupin! You listening to me?"

Lupin's plans were all sloshing around in his head as they sometimes were apt to do when Lupin gave himself such particular and short notice projects. His eye had caught on a photocopy of one of the potential targets. "The Garden Of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch. It had been struck from the running early on as it was far too big to be taken alone but he couldn't help but look at the wanton display of love and sex amongst the grasses and think of what making love to Zenigata in the lavender had been like; of how fitting it had been to lay with the inspector in lavender. Lavender was for devotion, he remembered sadly. But it was also for distrust. It made his heart hurt and his throat go tight. That, in turn, made him think of the horrible nightmare and the choking flower petals. Jigen's voice thankfully broke through the haze.

"Huh? Oh. Oh yeah. I'm listening." He said mildly. He sat down heavily on the sofa. He put his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers loosely together under his chin.

"I'm listening..." He repeated but it was unconvincing. A sound of disbelief came from Jigen as he went to the kitchen.

"Yeah right. You can't hear a damn thing I'm saying." He grumbled as he took down a pan. He needed something in his stomach to settle it and if Lupin was this deep in he was gonna have to cook for himself. "I hope you're paying better attention while you're out on the job. ICPO and the Madrid police are everywhere cause of that princess's wedding." Jigen pulled eggs and bacon from the fridge all the while he muttered on to himself. "Can't believe that's not a hit on your little spree. Isn't that's why pops was here in the first place? That'd really get his blood boiling."

Lupin slowly perked up. He looked out into space as something seemed to dawn on him.

"That's it..." He hushed. A smile began to unfurl itself on Lupin's face.

"Huh? What's it? You want something to eat now?" Jigen asked surprised.

"That's it!!" Lupin shouted and leapt to his feet. He spun on his heel, arms outstretched triumphantly. He crossed around the sofa to Jigen, where he took him by the shoulders. He shook him softly a moment. Lupin's eyes were full of energetic light. For the first time since he had begun this whole explanation, Lupin seemed to have a real enthusiasm in his voice. "The royal wedding! Why didn't I think of it sooner? Now that's a caper to end all the others!"

Letting go of Jigen, Lupin headed back to where he had all his plans tacked up.

"Scrap it. Scrap it all!" Lupin declared and he began pulling up push pins and map edges from the wall.

"Are you kidding me? That's what you heard from all that?" Jigen said in disbelief. He glared at Lupin as he abandoned the ingredients of his breakfast on the kitchen counter. "At least with these jobs you did the research. What are you even gonna steal? There are gonna be some rich people there but you ain't some rookie pickpocket. A job like that would hurt our reputation."

Lupin gripped handfuls of crumpled papers. He stuck the full fists on his hips in a fussy way.

"It's a wedding, Jigen. And what is the most valuable thing at any given wedding and also conveniently a perfect symbol of love that I can snatch straight away?" He asked. There were equal measures of condescension and true excitement.

"Suffering?" Jigen said crossing his arms over his chest and smirking a little. Lupin rolled his eyes.

"Good to know you're still your ever charming self." He offered before continuing "I'm going to steal the royal wedding bands right out of the cathedral tomorrow! Those things have got to be worth a fortune and serves them right for flaunting their happiness in everyone's faces!"

Lupin tossed the torn down bits of his previous plan on the coffee table with a blithe flick of his wrists. Some smaller pieces floated down like confetti. There was a devious fire in Lupin's eyes.

"I figure I could tie myself in knots trying to run a mess of little jobs but the chance to screw up a national event like this? That has presence! That makes a statement! And with Zenigata working security detail, this is the perfect chance to get back at him and his precious junior detective! That'll show em!'"

Jigen shook his head and walked back to the kitchen. 

"You've gone off the deep end this time, Lupin." He paused as he took an egg out of the carton. "If ya do this Pops will never forgive you. Think you can handle that?" he asked solemnly.

Lupin was only momentarily derailed by his friend's oddly serious tone. He pushed it away, finding the sudden moment of conscious distasteful. He sniffed and folded his arms tightly.

"Hmph! No skin off my back. He's clearly married to his job, so why shouldn't I be married to mine? It's all business from here on out! The last year doesn't count, That what he said, so it's his own fault if I don't pull my punches!" Lupin explained in a haughty way. His eyebrows made great upside down U's of supercilious pique.

"Alright then. You want breakfast?" Jigen asked as he cracked the egg and dropped it onto the hot pan.

"None for me, thanks. Too much to do. I've got a wedding to go to in the morning!" Lupin replied. He marched from the room and back to his bedroom. He combed his hair with his fingers and rubbed his palms together as he went, snickering meanly under his breath. His pep and spark seemed to be back but there was a maliciousness to it that made his otherwise normal keenness feel impure. To Jigen a job was a job but with Lupin theft was an art and it felt off to see him pursuing a job for something so paltry. He hoped this was just one of Lupin's tantrums but for once he wasn't so sure.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, the sun rose over Madrid and with the bright sunshine and a clear blue sky it turned out to be a breathtaking day for a wedding. The whole of the city seemed to have shut down in celebration of Princess Margarita's marriage. People lined the street the Royal Palace to Almudena Cathedral a block away and the plazas of both locations were full of spectators to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds riding through on the procession after the ceremony.

News cameras littered the area and just about every television in the city was tuned in to the broadcast. Even Jigen had flicked the local news on and let it run in the background. Lupin had continued to insist that he would be happy going this one alone, perhaps a bit too adamantly for Jigen's taste but be had been secretly relieved. He was no slouch on these things though and planned to keep an eye on the broadcast just in case of the very real chance his partner got in over his head and the fallout was caught on camera.

Everywhere you looked, people were cheering and celebrating. Bars and restaurants were packed and the mood was merry all around. Except for the mood of Lupin the Third.

Lupin moved like a man on a mission. He was just that, strictly speaking, but usually Lupin tried to enjoy his work. He took pride in his thievery and found fun in the caper. There was no fun here though. This was a transaction. Snatch the rings, leave the calling card and get out. The fun would come later. It would be a quick job and he'd be home in time to see it all come out on the news. He wondered if they'd interview Zenigata and Lupin could laugh himself hoarse as he watched his former lover bumble excuses for his failures and in general make an ass of himself.

The ceremony was to begin within the hour and the cathedral was buzzing with waiting guests. Lupin had moved through the crowd with the ease and expertise of someone who was well versed in the art of not being noticed. Zenigata's security had been laughable but he had not been expecting Lupin to make any kind of move on the wedding so the thief wasn't surprised he had played it by the book if not a little lax.

Lupin slipped away from the main hall and into the inner corridors, lined with cells and vestry rooms. He was very lucky that none of the rooms he had checked were occupied and even luckier when he found what he was searching for on his third try. The room was a small inner chapel where people could go to pray or worship on their own but was being used for storage for the day's event. It was a white plaster room with only about five rows of red-cushioned pews and a modest wooden dais that was more simple than the grand main cathedral but no less beautiful. The ceilings stretched almost fifteen feet above Lupin's head and large glass windows flooded the room with sun, the white walls making the room that much brighter in the mid-afternoon light.

Lupin's heart jumped when he saw sitting on the pulpit, on a rich purple pillow and totally unguarded, were the two golden wedding rings. Lupin slunk over to them and hummed in satisfaction as he gazed at them. Unceremoniously he snatched them up and tucked them into his inner coat pocket.

"Easy as pie..." He gloated quietly. He pulled out his calling card and studied it in preparation for leaving it on the pillow. "I declare war upon love! Lupin III" it read. It was perhaps a bit melodramatic for some but Lupin was looking to make a statement. Perhaps he could spin his previously planned heists out in the coming weeks if this went well. Lupin really could wage a war on love if he so chose. Lupin sneered and thought about Zenigata's reaction to the message. He could choke on it for all Lupin cared. Him and the pretty boy detective.

At that moment the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a small boy with light brown hair. The dinosaur pajamas had been replaced with a small light green suit with short pants. His little black shoes were buffed to a high shine. Across his chest was a light blue sash denoting his social status and over his heart was the proof of his knighthood in the form of the medal of The Order of the Golden Fleece.

Prince Cordero looked bored and put upon when he first opened the door but as soon he saw the man there his expression was replaced with a look of surprise. A smile spread across his face shortly after.

"Mr. Thief! You came!" He exclaimed as he ran into the room and threw his arms around Lupin's waist. "I'm so glad you're here! All the other grown-ups are so boring!"

Lupin had not been expecting anyone, especially not Cordero, so he was taken by surprise when the child hugged him from behind. He quickly stuck the calling card back into his coat and patted the boy's head.

"Cordero! Hey there, kid!" He said in pleased bewilderment. While he hadn't been anticipating Cordero's arrival, his work was done so Lupin found the intrusion not an unwelcome one. It was nice to see a familiar face that seemed to not have a care in the world. The young prince was somehow a breath of fresh air in an otherwise upsetting thirty-six hours.

Lupin gathered himself then turned and sat on the steps of the platform, back against the lectern. He clapped his hands on Cordero's shoulders. "Don't you look smart. All done up to the nines to give your sister away, huh?"

"Naw. Dad is doing that." Cordero said with a smile. "He's coming with Maggie in a little while. So are mom and my cousins. They let me come early with Rodrigo and his brother cause Maggie is taking forever!" The last part was said in a very comical exaggeration.

"So it's a classic case of hurry up and wait. That's normal." Lupin surmised. Lupin remembered how much sitting around he had been subjected to on the day of his wedding to Rebecca. It had gnawed at him and his ever-alert mind had just wanted to get on with it. He could feel the kid's pain. Still, knowing the royal family had yet to make the scene proved valuable information as to why security had been such a breeze to get around. Lupin deduced Zenigata wasn't even here yet. He had time to linger with his little friend. Cordero moved to sit beside Lupin, careful to mimic exactly how his friend was sitting.

"Yeah well, I'm bored. I thought there might be some kids here but it's all grown ups. I can't even play with my cousins cause everyone is worried they'll get their dresses dirty." He pouted a moment as he thought about his mother scolding him when he tried to start a game of tag while the adults readied themselves. "Most of the police officers aren't even here yet. It's all just boring adults." The Prince smiled widely at Lupin. "But you're here now! Can you stay for the wedding?"

The offer was sweet and Lupin felt his lips turn up a bit at it but then his reason for being here in the first place caught up with him.

"Sorry, kid. But I'm not really in the mood for a wedding." He grumbled. The Prince visibly deflated.

"Yeah. Weddings are dumb." Cordero was deep in thought for a moment before he sprung up from his seat with an excited "Oh!" He stood before Lupin looking triumphant. "You can come to the party after! There will be cake and dancing and you can bring your knight! Maggie's friends Sebastion and Raul will be there. They're boyfriends so you won't feel alone!"

It was another good-hearted offer but it felt like a bullet in Lupin's chest. To dance with the inspector as he had around the campfire the night of their anniversary was a nice dream indeed. For all his anger and bluster against Zenigata, deep down Lupin was just depressed by the whole matter. Making a big show of resentment had helped for a while but it was hard to keep up. It was not in Lupin's nature to hold such a grudge; not really. Honestly, Cordero made Lupin feel at ease. The child had no desire to judge Lupin, so not fighting how much he was hurting was a lot easier.

"Actually feeling alone is about the only thing I've got going for me right about now." Lupin sighed. He stood, hands in his pockets and shuffled along the length of the altar. He picked at the greenery on a nearby flower arrangement. "I'm afraid I lost the heart of my knight, you see..."

Cordero's face fell. He quite liked the idea of a knight and a thief together. It sounded fun and dangerous. The thief could steal the dragon's gold while the knight held the monster at bay. Without the knight, the thief wouldn't stand a chance against a dragon. It's not how he wanted the story to go.

"Why?" The little boy asked as he stood in that austere chapel. "What happened?" Cordero knew he sounded a bit whiney and he had been told by his parents that he was getting too old for that behavior but he didn't care right now.

Lupin stamped a foot and turned to Cordero. One last try at being upset reared its head and he shouted: "It was all his fault! He didn't pay attention to me and said I was acting like a child and... And..."

Lupin shrugged listlessly. He could blow and gripe about how it was all Zenigata's doing but he looked at Cordero's innocent face and knew that he sounded like an ass. Lupin had been running on empty trying to push himself into believing he was right but now he felt like he had run out of steam. He could no longer deny that a lot of the trouble had been his own resentment and fear that he could lose someone as good as Zenigata. It hurt to feel discarded as he did but it hurt more to be without Zenigata.

"No. No, I _was_ acting like a child. I was jealous and I...I said some stuff I shouldn't have said." He sighed with a heavy heart. The thief pulled a short length of the ivy from the flower arrangement and twirled it idly in his fingers as he looked at his feet. It didn't feel particularly nice to admit how stupid he was, but Lupin felt like he could confide in Cordero. That glimmer of the good man the prince could become someday was stronger than ever. Cordero sat down hard on the step.

"This day is awful." He said as he flopped backward so he was laying on the dais. "I'm bored and all the grown-ups are sad. You. And the policeman with the hat like in the movies. He lets me wear it some times but not since he's been so sad. And mom cause Maggie says she should have... loped?" He looked to the adult to see if he had used the word correctly.

"Eloped." Lupin corrected distractedly. He sat down across from Cordero on the front row pew. His long legs splayed out in front of him. He slumped down and started to twist the ivy into a ring. It was a fairly simple little tie like the ones he had left in the jewelry store in Venice but Lupin felt he needed to do something with his hands. He finished one, tossed it aside and finding he had more ivy left started in on a second ring but then Cordero's words filtered down into Lupin's brain and caught there. He sat up sharply and studied Cordero a moment.

"Policeman with the hat? Brown hat with a band? Dark eyes, strong jaw?" He choked a bit upon hearing about who he could only assume was Zenigata. Cordero's youthful sweetness and light must have been irresistible to more than just Lupin if Zenigata, obsessed and on the job as he was, had let the little boy sway him into such a paternal gesture. The thought was downright adorable but what had really interested him was that Lupin had spent the last few days thinking Zenigata was perfectly unbothered by the whole debacle. Any clue to the contrary was news to him. Cordero sat up abruptly and looked at Lupin surprised.

"Yeah! And he has long eyelashes too." The boy animated the lashes by putting his hands up so his fingers went around his eyes. The chubby digits substituted for real lashes. That was Zenigata alright. Lupin smiled at the unmitigated preciousness of Cordero's pantomime.

"And you said he was upset? Did he happen to say why?" Lupin knew it wasn't classy to ask a little kid for dirt on his ex but Lupin had thought and said a lot of classless things this week.

"Dunno." Cordero answered shrugging one shoulder. "He's just been looking sad. Especially when he sees the flowers around the house. Mom likes fresh flowers in the summer."

Lupin looked at the flower arrangement and imagined Zenigata doing the same. Would he be able to pick out their meanings as easily as Lupin could after the full year of study and practice he had gone through? Twined roses of white and red for unity? Red carnations, the symbol of Spain and the message "I ache for you"? Ivy for fidelity? Would knowing their meanings be as painful to him as they were to Lupin right now?

Lupin looked down at the remaining sprig of ivy half formed into a ring between his fingers. He shook his head in resignation and finished the knot, putting this ring beside the first on the pew seat.

"Flowers can be nice...when you have someone to give them to." He agreed with a sad smile. He pondered silently a moment. He scrubbed his face in frustration. Lupin had really botched it this time. There was no way Zenigata would ever forgive him.

"Any knightly advice on how to fix giant screw-ups, Cordero?" Lupin joked in a hollow cynical way. "I don't think I'll ever get my knight to love me again. No happy ending in sight for our noble thief this time around."

Cordero's little brow crinkled as he looked at Lupin. They had been talking about the policeman. Why was the thief talking about his knight now?

"Well...." Cordero stood and approached Lupin, his little hands behind his back in a stoic gesture far beyond his years. "Why did you get jealous?"

Lupin's eyebrows shot up in wonder at that. He had been thinking out loud. He hadn't expected Cordero to answer him. He watched the boy posing there looking for all the world like a little king surveying his lands laid out before him and was charmed. What could Lupin say? He had a soft spot for kids. Especially ones with as much personality as Cordero. Lupin would be the first to admit he could very well be the number one sucker for girl scout cookies. Lupin chose his words carefully.

"Well... I was jealous because I thought my knight was growing tired of our adventures. That he was going to leave me behind for someone new. I accused him of looking to run away with his...squire, I guess you'd call him. But now I'm afraid all my stupid worrying may have just pushed my knight right into his arms." Lupin explained. He laid his arms back along the pew and sighed hard making his chest heave up then down. With a sage nod, Cordero came to sit beside Lupin. The ivy rings laid between them. He thought for a moment while his pudgy legs swung idly.

"When Maggie and Rodrigo said they were gonna get married people were mad cause he's not from Spain. That really made Maggie sad and angry. So one day Rodrigo came over to talk to her. I was playing hide and seek with Andre and Sofia. They're the gardener's kids." The last part was added almost as an afterthought when he realized Lupin wouldn't know the name of his friends. "I was hiding in the sitting room cause there are big plants in there and it was Sofia's turn to be seeker. So I'm hiding and Maggie and Rodrigo come in. I wasn't sneaking." The boy added seriously pointing a finger at Lupin to make his point clear. He had gotten in trouble several times for spying on people's conversations and even though there was no way for the thief to know, he wanted to make himself clear. Once his point was made he turned away and continued his story.

"Rodrigo came to tell Maggie he didn't want her to be sad. That he loved her but if people were gonna make her feel bad just because they're getting married he wouldn't marry her. He said he'd rather see Maggie happy with someone else than have her be sad and be with him. That he loved her so so much he was willing to let her go cause her happiness was more important."

Cordero smiled as he thought of that moment. The sun was shining and the small rose window glowed in lovely yellows, blues and pinks. It cast a beautiful halo on the floor about halfway down the aisle. "But Maggie said she knew that they were meant to be together cause Rodrigo was willing to give up his happiness for her's. She set the date for the wedding that day and she's never been sad since. Maggie is tough like that. She was only teasing mom when she talked about loping." He turned to Lupin with a little smile on his face. "What I mean is that if you really love your knight but he's not happy you gotta let him go. If he really really really loves you he'll stay but if he doesn't... Well, you wouldn't want him to be sad, right?"

Lupin's eyes wandered down as the knowledge sunk in. Lupin could never deny love again. That would be a crime in a world with such a believing person as Cordero in it. With that, came the unfortunate truth that his love for Zenigata was stronger than himself and Lupin would have to make a painful decision. No happy endings for him perhaps, but that did not have to be the case for everyone. His mind made up, Lupin returned Cordero's gaze and while it was pensive, his smile was genuine.

"A knight will do anything for love And it turns out, so will a thief." He said with a calm gentility. Lupin stood and bowed at the waist with a wide sweeping arc of his arm. Still bent at the waist, Lupin tipped his head up to look to the boy with decorum that was still beautiful even when marred with such melancholy. "Your royal highness, I thank you for your wise counsel."

Cordero smiled as his little legs swung lazily. "You're welcome Mr. Thief." He said with a smile. "Are you sure you don't wanna come to the wedding? My cousins want magic yo-yos too."

Lupin straightened with a sighing chuckle.

"Afraid not. I've got some very important work to take care of." Lupin replied. Distantly the pair heard the voice of a young man down the hall.

"Cordero, Where are you? Your sister is on her way right now. We're expected..."

Lupin looked from the door back to Cordero.

"I should get out of here. Hey, speaking of that magic yo-yo, you wouldn't happen to have it on you right now." Lupin asked cheerily. He nodded to the windows high up in the chapel's rafters.

"Sure do." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bright yellow toy. "I guess I should give it back to you. I played a trick on the grown-ups with it. It was fun but not very responsible I guess." Cordero looked at it forlornly for a moment then offered it to Lupin. "Can I have it back when I learn to be responsible?"

Lupin ruffled Cordero's hair and took the yo-yo.

"When you learn to be a gentleman thief, you can make one of your own." He said. Lupin unfurled the grapple line up and around a beam in the ceiling. He rode up it and stood in the window. The sunshine poured in around Lupin leaving his silhouette cut out onto the carpet below and haloed with stained glass light in red and yellow and blue. Lupin waved lightly at the little prince.

"Cordero? Are you in here?" Came the voice again, just outside the door of the chapel. Cordero turned to the door.

"In here, Rodrigo." He called before turning back to wave goodbye to the thief but the man was gone. A tall handsome man stepped into the room. He had dark hair and kind dark eyes. A stylish goatee framed his full lips and he was dressed in an impeccable black suit. A wide smile was spread across his face.

"Hey, buddy. Come on. Your sister is gonna be here in a minute. We gotta take our places."

Cordero nodded his agreement. "Ok. I'm getting the rings. Just a second." The little boy ran up to the altar and grabbed the pillow. A voice called from the hall.

"I found him in here, Raul!" Rodrigo called back. He turned to leave the room. "Hurry up. Your mom is probably in quite a state with Maggie teasing her about eloping all week."

The Prince started down the steps but stopped and looked surprised at the pillow. The gold rings were no longer there. Cordero looked all around him on the floor but saw nothing. Then his eyes fell on the front pew he and the thief had sat on earlier. There sat the two ivy rings Lupin had woven together while they talked. They were perfect in his young eyes. Anyone could have plain old golden rings at their wedding but Maggie and Rodrigo would have magic flower rings made by the best thief in the world. No one could top that. These would be his wedding gift to his sister.

With an excited jump over the last step, Cordero picked up both rings and gently tucked them into the pocket of the pillow. With that he ran after Rodrigo, catching him in the hall. "Hurry up Rodrigo! We gotta get married!"

Rodrigo laughed tilting his head back with the mirth of it all. He scooped up the little boy in his arms and carried him back towards the cathedral and the rest of the groomsmen. "That's a great idea buddy. I'm excited to be your brother."

Cordero threw his arms around the man's neck and hugged him tight. "Me too. Thank you for making Maggie happy."

  
Zenigata stood in front of his hotel room door. His shoulders were slumped and an exhausted, sad expression was on his face. The last two nights he had come back to his room and relived the fight all over again. He hated it. Never in all his years chasing Lupin had he ever complained about his accommodations but he didn't think he could stay here after tonight and with the events of the day he was sure he'd be in Madrid for another week at least. Although there was something oddly nice about knowing Lupin was nearby.

Finally, he pulled the key card from his wallet and let himself in while his heart ached. Once inside he tossed his hat and trench coat onto the chair by the door before he even turned on the lights. He shrugged off his old brown suit coat and tossed it on the pile. He would have hung it up in the past but he didn't have anyone to look nice for anymore. He hadn't even shaved in the last two days and it was really starting to show. The bigger problem was opening his closet. Hanging in there, almost shrine-like, were his two good suits.

There had been a moment he thought about wearing the new blue one to the wedding in hopes Lupin would see him on tv or something. Maybe he wanted to make Lupin jealous when he saw him standing beside Yata in that smart suit. Maybe he wanted Lupin to want him again. He didn't know but in the end he had gone with his tried and true old brown suit.

He sighed. It was a sad defeated noise. Might as well get ready for bed. Tomorrow would be just another day. Zenigata turned on the light ready to face the ghosts of this room.

One of the ghosts was seated behind the desk. Lupin had his hands folded and laid in his lap. His knuckles were white. He was pitched forward in the chair and one of his knees was bobbing spasmodically. He was the picture of fretful apprehension. On the desk before him was a bouquet wrapped in newspaper. Lupin jumped to his feet when he saw Zenigata.

"Pops..." He trailed off. His eyes were wide as if he hadn't been expecting Zenigata in his own hotel room.

It felt like Zenigata had been hit in the chest. Half of him wanted to turn back to his coat and grab his cuffs. The other half wanted to collapse into Lupin's arms. Perhaps even beg for forgiveness. Instead, he chose to stand there and look at the floor.

"Ya shouldn't be here, Lupin." He let out a mirthless chuckle. "At least you're job security."

Lupin stood there like a statue a moment. He would have preferred to be shouted at; threatened with arrest. Even being decked across the face would be preferable to the cold and emotionless reception Zenigata was giving him now.

"You don't get it. I had to come back. I had to... What it was is..." Lupin began. He found the words terribly difficult to find and he fidgeted, putting his hands in and out of his pockets. At last, Lupin circled the desk and marched over to Zenigata. He looked determined. Lupin quickly grasped both of Zenigata's hands in his own and at last the words began to flow.

"I'm a jealous jerk. An absolute blockhead. I thought everything had to be my way and I didn't once stop to think of you. Instead, I went out of my way to make you look stupid and ruined the wedding of two absolutely wonderful kids while I was at it..."

"Haven't you seen the news? Ya didn't ruin anything." Zenigata said. His brow crinkled in confusion "They were married and because of you they had what the media is calling 'the television moment of the decade'. Everyone is talking about it."

Lupin studied the inspector's face and finding no further answers there, could only narrow his eyes in bewilderment.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" He asked. His grip on Zenigata's hands loosened then fell away. Zenigata heaved another sigh and the look in his eyes softened slightly.

"When it was time for the rings Prince Cordero handed his sister two woven ivy rings. He told her they were made by the best thief in the world." The inspector smiled slightly "I knew your work as soon as I saw it from where I was standing. Everyone started to panic but Princess Margarita laughed. She said it was the best wedding present she could get from The Prince of Thieves because ivy stands for fidelity and marriage. Before anyone could stop her she had put the ring on Lord Rodrigo's finger and said her vows and so did he." Zenigata shook his head. "The Prince said there wasn't a calling card but he described you perfectly."

The card! Lupin slapped a hand over his chest and felt the weight of the card stock over his breast. Without the card, the whole thing had looked like a romantic gesture on Lupin's part. A tongue and cheek replacement in exchange for the rings he stole. Lupin felt strange, like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He had lost what little steam he had and was floundering to regain control of his apology. He cleared his throat a bit.

"I...um. I didn't catch the news today. I was outside town. With Vano. No tv out there, you know?" He explained it disjointedly. Lupin turned back to the desk and picked up the bouquet. He offered it to Zenigata. "He was helping me put together this."

It was a beautifully arranged bouquet in purples and whites. It was made of many flowers Zenigata had not seen before in the last year of their correspondence. Zenigata looked from the bouquet back to Lupin with a surprised but hopeful look. "What are these for?"

Lupin opened his mouth to speak but closed it a second later. He walked past Zenigata to where his coat lay. He quickly searched the pockets and fished out something. He returned to stand before Zenigata and when he held out his hand again, in it was the dogeared copy of "The Language of Flowers" that Lupin had left with him the morning after they had first made love. Lupin looked at Zenigata with a fragile worried hope in his eyes that the inspector would indulge him. Zenigata tossed the book aside.

"I don't need that anymore." He said and saw the flash of panic cross Lupin's face and Zenigata quickly stepped forward and corrected himself. "I mean I memorized the book. I haven't needed to check it for a long time.".

Being this close to Lupin was both painful and exhilarating. In their short time separated Zenigata had longed for the thief's presence but now all he could think of was that perfect moment on the Venetian balcony. The moment that began everything that was now over. Looking away from his ex-lover, Zenigata cleared his throat and examined the bouquet.

"Well, let's start here." He touched a fist size blossom with periwinkle paper petals that faded to a white pincushion center. "This is Mourning Bride. It means an unfortunate attachment." 

Zenigata felt his chest ache. His knees nearly buckling in his pain but he pressed on. If Lupin was here to make it clear that they were over in the most painful way he could then the old inspector would endure it. His big hands touched a sleek, glossy bunch of flowers with six petals of rich purple, deeper on the inside than lightening out. It emerged from a long, white and stem-like tube.

"That's meadow saffron and it means my happiest days are past. Over here are Mezereon and they talk about a desire to please." He paused as his fingers slipped over the branch of four-lobed light purple flowers. These didn't go with the first flower. They spoke to Zenigata of beautiful days gone by. Of happiness and warmth that had ended far too soon. His breath caught and he felt the tears spring to his eyes as he saw the green stalk with its cluster of waxy curled trumpets beside the iconic flower of spring with its ruffled petals that formed a delicate cup. The inspector looked up at Lupin with cautious hope. "Purple hyacinth is what you send when you're sorry and you hope they'll send back white tulips for forgiveness." He reached for the other man then." Lupin, I-"

Lupin's hand came out and took Zenigata's wrist. It was almost as if he were afraid to make true contact with the inspector.

"Spot on so far. Go on. Two left." Lupin's voice was small and worrisome. Zenigata faltered a bit but a small smile touched his lips. Hope welled in him.

"Oh! Yes. Where was I? Well, the princess already said that ivy is for fidelity and these are Cyclamen. They mean-" The word could not get past the sudden lump in the inspector's throat at the sight of those soft white upswept blossoms like resting moths. Hope drained from him along with the color in his face. If the first flower hadn't had the ability to drive him to his knees in wretched sorrow these almost accomplished that goal.

Looking back at Lupin, Zenigata felt a tear escape and slide down his cheek as his eyes frantically searched the other man's face. "Goodbye. They mean goodbye." He finally croaked out. The inspector's heart was pounding on his chest and he felt panic taking hold of him. He had already lost Lupin's love, he couldn't lose the man too. "Why? What does that mean Lupin?

Lupin almost let alarm overtake him when he saw that tear fall from Zenigata's eye but he did his best to stay strong. Lupin seemed resigned now to what he was trying to say.

"It's me, Pops. I'm the unfortunate attachment you got stuck with. Being with you has been some of the best times in my life but I get that all that's all over now. I'm sorry for everything I ever put you through but all I want to do is make you happy." Lupin held the bouquet tightly. The newspaper it was wrapped in crinkled. He lowered his head. It was easier to focus on the glossy blossoms that had been so delicately tended to in their life before this painful conversation.

"But why goodbye?" Zenigata pressed on. All be wanted to do was take Lupin in his arms and hold him tighter than he ever had but he couldn't if this was their last meeting. He'd never let go.

"Because I'm no good!" Lupin was surprised at how loud that had come out. He lifted his eyes back to Zenigata and the inspector couldn't see they were full of fear and pain. "I'm selfish and stubborn and I've never been anything but a nuisance to you! I get now why you'd get tired of me. Hell, I'm pretty tired of me right now!"

Lupin tossed his arms over his head for emphasis. The scents of the flowers hit both men as the bouquet was swung through the air. Lupin paced away, fists planted on his hips. He looked like he was gathering his thoughts by the determined line of his pursed mouth and the deep crease in his brow. He tossed the bouquet back onto the desk and turned back to Zenigata, nodding to himself with a determined kind of air.

"Look," He began again. This time he sounded more sure and composed. "I'll be a better boyfriend if you'll let me stay. But I know that's not my choice to make. If you don't want me...if Yata or whoever else you want makes you happier than some troublemaking thief, well...that's fine too."

He leaned back against the desk, arms folded and one ankle crossed over the other. His chin was dipped down to his chest.

"I care for you. More than diamonds or gold. But it's because I do, I know that if you want to be with someone else I'll have to understand..." He continued. Lupin was markedly more in control of himself now. He had retreated into his own bravado and that made the words easier to say. Lupin put a thoughtful hand to his chin and looked Zenigata in the eye. A dauntless half smile was painted across his lips. "...but I'll be here waiting for when you come back because I know we belong together."

The thief was the very picture of subdued confidence. Zenigata knew him too well though and could see right through the act. Zenigata had known Lupin's body language for years and could spot when he was putting up a front. For all intents and purposes, Zenigata knew Lupin wanted to tremble right now.

"You showboating idiot." Zenigata said. His mouth was held in a hard line and his eyes were dark. All of the bluff fell away and Lupin's posture went with it. He stood with his arms dead at his sides and looked at the inspector like a man before a firing squad. Zenigata stepped into Lupin's space.

"You are good. You're one of the best men I've ever met. Sure, you're a thief but I've seen you save lives and help people too. All the other stuff is just who you are and I-" The stern look faltered. The whole frame of the man softened a bit. "I like who you are. I'm happier when I'm with you." Tentatively he reached out and took one of Lupin's hand in his. He spoke a little faster, a little harsher. "But that's where you're an idiot. How could I want to be with anyone else when you make me so happy? Yeah, I can get a little caught up in work but you're my work. I can do better but I need you to trust me. I haven't even looked at anyone since we got together. Especially not Yata." Zenigata rolled his eyes. "He's just my partner. I don't want him, I don't want anyone else, I want you! _I love you!_"

The words surprised even himself. Zenigata had said it without thinking at all. It was just the way he had hoped he'd say it but he wished the circumstances had been a bit different. Lupin was stunned. His eyes went round with surprise. He and Zenigata stared at each other in shock a moment.

"Woah... You said it..." Lupin heard himself say. He put a hand on the side of his head and a massive sigh came out of him. Lupin was bowled over by the actual admission. A small laugh slipped past Zenigata's lips.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. I said it." He smiled a little. At least Lupin wasn't running away. He tightened his grip on Lupin's hand just in case. Lupin stepped over to the bed and sat heavily. He didn't let go of Zenigata and his arm stretched across to him.

"Holy..." Lupin began but trailed off. He had truly believed Zenigata would never say it so that paired with his jangled nerves from his days of worry and anger served to drain him.

"Yeah, I know." Zenigata said. He sat hard beside Lupin. Their joined hands rested on the bed between them. They sat in silence for a while. It felt good to be close again and there was a lot to process. Finally, Zenigata looked shyly at Lupin. "So."

"So?" Lupin looked back. For once in his life, he was at a loss for words with Zenigata. He had presumed an outpouring of emotion would have been his response to Zenigata's admission of love and now that it was here, Lupin was having trouble just wrapping his mind around the fact that it actually had happened. Zenigata turned more fully to look at Lupin.

"So... Now what?" There was a lot Zenigata wanted to say but it was already overwhelming. Lupin sat there a minute longer and turned that question over in his mind. Neither of them spoke.

Suddenly Lupin jumped to his feet. He faced Zenigata and stared down at him, eyes wide and lips parted in an expression that was hard to read. As if it had just occurred to him, Lupin began to frantically pat down his pockets and when he reached his inner jacket pocket he reached in for what was there. Lupin all but crashed down to one knee and held out one of the gold wedding bands he had stolen from the cathedral that afternoon.

"Marry me." He said to Zenigata. His voice was breathless. His eyes were big and hopeful and scared. Leaping up from the bed, Zenigata could do little more than stare at his lover for a moment. His heart was hammering in his chest. He was absolutely floored by the turn of events. He was expecting to be left once more and here Lupin was asking for them to be together forever.

"What... How can you ask that so casually? Get up off the floor! I'm not a woman! You propose to women that way!"

Lupin had entered this room hours earlier with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. He would look at the bouquet he had gotten from Vano (a beautiful creation that Lupin gave the Gitano a lot more than the proposed ten Euro for) and ask himself what he thought he was doing. He was afraid he wouldn't have the guts to dare speak to Zenigata and if he did he was preparing to BEG for his forgiveness. He never thought he'd be begging Zenigata to marry him. It was absurd and that absurdity lit a fire under Lupin and brought his passion back in full force. An impulsive, all or nothing romantic in all things, Lupin joyfully owned the situation.

He rose swiftly to his feet, daring to smile.

"I'll propose to my future husband whatever way I want! Come on, what do you say?" He said. It was cajoling, more like he was asking a partner who resolutely did not dance to get up and join him on the floor.

"Future husband!? That's assuming a lot considering I haven't said yes yet!" Zenigata exclaimed but he couldn't help the smile slowly spreading across his face. "And where'd you even get that ring?" He asked. He grabbed Lupin's wrist and brought his hand closer to better inspect the jewelry. It was instantly recognizable and Zenigata nearly choked with the unmitigated gall of it. "Is this one of the rings from the royal wedding? You're proposing with a stolen ring? You can't do that!"

"And you can't propose with no ring at all!" Lupin countered. He was riding the line of huffy and teasing. He snatched his hand back and tucked the band away into his coat with its companion. "It's all I had on hand. Think of it as a place holder. I'll get you one of your own. Gold is traditional, of course, but platinum is a little hardier and it's actually more rare than gold. Did you know that?"

"I HAVEN'T SAID YES YET! STOP MAKING PLANS!" Zenigata exploded. He did love Lupin and had known it for some time now but this was awfully sudden. He took a breath and calmed himself. "You really wanna marry me?"

Lupin was amused as he often was watching Zenigata send himself into a tizzy. He grinned.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." He started but he softened when he felt the sincerity of Zenigata's question. He was warmed by it and chose his words carefully.

"I stole those rings out of anger. I made a dumb jealous choice but it set me up for this moment and honestly, I don't think I'd have any better opportunity than right now. So why question it?" Lupin took Zenigata's hands in his. He ran his thumbs over the skin there soothingly. "We will never be a normal couple. I'll always be a thief and you'll always be my dogged adversary," Lupin chuckled a bit at the irony of that "So if you ever want that quiet little life someday, where you're a local beat cop in a sleepy town with a little apartment and a house husband you come home to, tell me no and that will be the end of it. But if you want danger and secrets and jet setting all over the world, I'm your man. It'll be complicated, it'll be messy but it will be ours. All I want is for you to be happy because I love you."

It felt liberating to say out loud. He wanted to repeat it. He wanted to shout it out loud at the top of his lungs to catch up with all the times he had wanted to say it but couldn't over the last year. He bit it back, knowing this moment was too precious for such show. Instead, he took a step back and shoulders squared, Lupin placed a hand over his heart in the beginnings of a princely bow and said:

"So I ask you again, brave sir knight: Will you marry me?"

Before he could react, large hands were cupping either side of Lupin's face and Zenigata kissed the thief. If he had been asked a year ago if he'd ever remarry, the Zenigata of that time would have said never. Now he was overjoyed with the prospect. Visions of white tuxedos in long hallowed cathedrals with the perfect flowers lining every surface came to his mind and the thought was perfect. He kissed Lupin deeply and with all the affirmation he could put into it.

Lupin was stunned by it and his arms hung in mid-air. Everything seemed to catch up with him a moment later and Lupin wrapped his arms around Zenigata's back, pulling their bodies in tight together. His heart was hammering and his head was buzzing with rapturous energy. Lupin didn't want the kiss to end but he did pull away to look into the other man's face with a giant smile on his lips.

"So is that a yes?" He asked wryly.

"Of course, you dumbass." Zenigata laughed as he pressed their foreheads together.

"Yahoo!!" Lupin cheered at the top of his voice and leapt onto the bed with Zenigata still in his arms. The pair toppled over, bouncing on the springy mattress and Lupin's laughter was like tinkling bells. He kissed Zenigata's cheeks and mouth and chin with overjoyed eagerness. Zenigata laughed at the antics and let himself be kissed over and over. He was a bit worried about the stubble on his face but Lupin didn't seem to mind.

"Hey! Hey! Careful! You're marrying an old man, remember?" He chuckled and wrapped his arms around Lupin's waist to keep him close. He hadn't been this happy in his whole life. Once Lupin had calmed a bit Zenigata smiled softly as he faced at the love of his life. "Ya know ya got till you put the ring on my finger to back out." He teased.

"Not on your life! A gentleman thief never goes back on a promise! That's a very important principle. It's one of the first lessons I teach to aspiring young thieves looking for advice." Lupin told him. He thought of Prince Cordero and his heart, which already felt full to bursting, swelled. Lupin touched his forehead to Zenigata's and breathed in his scent. It calmed him and made him feel like everything was right in the world. He added, a bit softer: "Don't know when we can do it. Actually get married, I mean. As if things weren't tricky before. But it'll happen. If it's tomorrow or ten years from now, I'm going to make it happen."

"I don't doubt it. I've seen you do the impossible before." Zenigata said softly as he nuzzled their foreheads together. One hand came up and gently caressed Lupin's face. "I love you. I can't believe it took me this long to say it. I'm sorry I made you wait."

The words still made Lupin's stomach do backflips. He leaned into the affectionate touch.

"Honestly, I thought I might be waiting forever. But that would have been okay. I knew you felt it even if you couldn't say it." Lupin said. The inspector smiled. No one had been willing to wait for him before. It was ironic that it was Lupin that seemed to understand him better than anyone else. He smirked at Lupin before hauling Lupin on top of him.

"I promise not to make you wait for that at least. Just ask. I'll say it every time." He smiled up at his fiancé and ran his hands over Lupin's back. Lupin's smile all but curled at the edges. He propped himself up on his arms and hovered over Zenigata.

"Say it." He said with all the excitement of a puppy who's been told he's going for a walk. He pressed his palms into the bed on either side of Zenigata's head, making the over-responsive springs jostle.

"I love you." Zenigata said with a laugh. He lifted his head off the bed. Their lips almost touching. "And I always will." He whispered against his lover's lips. Zenigata felt more than saw Lupin's smile grow wider.

"I love you." He echoed. His lips brushed Zenigata's own as he spoke: "Say it again."

It was a giddy request and Lupin was not ashamed of it.

"I love you." He whispered again with a chuckle. Zenigata kissed Lupin this time. It was slow and deep and full of love and wanting. One hand cupped the base of Lupin's skull and the other held him at the hip.

Lupin braced himself with one forearm and settled down against Zenigata's body. He kissed back and drank in the taste of Zenigata's lips and the oddly satisfying scrape of his stubble. He was full of love that felt anew when paired with the relief of their reunion as a couple and novelty of long-awaited words finally spoken. Finally, Zenigata pulled away slowly. He sighed and dropped his head back to the bed.

"You gonna make me say it all night? I forgot you don't have any impulse control."

"Sure am! Can you blame me?" Lupin beamed. He hissed laughter through his teeth. "It sounds so good coming out of your mouth. Say it again!"

Lupin dipped his head to kiss Zenigata's throat. He was pleased to see the love bite he had given Zenigata the two days before was nowhere to be seen. The laugh that came out of Zenigata this time was full and happy.

"I love you. I love you so much, Arsene Lupin." He said as he tilted his head back. It was hard to control his hips as Lupin hit that spot on his neck that turned him to jelly. Zenigata gripped Lupin's hip a bit tighter and he rolled his hips into the man on top of him.

"Oh ho, someone is amorous." Lupin taunted although Zenigata's touch and the jerk of his body beneath him was beginning to do quite the number on Lupin's libido as well. Lupin sat up and swiftly shed his coat. He pulled loose his tie and went to work on his shirt buttons in an efficient business-like manner. "A bit late to save it for the wedding night, I think."

Lupin felt at the top of his game and his mischievous ways mixed with an obvious lovesickness that radiated from him. He was proud to think that someone who made him happy in a way he never thought possible would think him worthy of such devotion. Zenigata blushed crimson.

"Well, what do you expect. I thought I lost you forever and now I get to be with you for the rest of my life." His hips rolled against Lupin's again. "I'd say we don't have to but you're already half undressed." He ran a calloused hand down Lupin's newly revealed torso.

Lupin paused with his shirt held open and scrutinized Zenigata with an impish gleam in his eye.

"I mean, I could always put it back on." He teased. He closed the shirt, wrapping it tightly around his spare torso. Zenigata sat up and wrapped his arms around Lupin's waist so their chests were pressed together. He nuzzled the side of Lupin's neck.

"I'm willing to wait for the wedding night if you are." He husked, his hands sliding down to cup Lupin's backside, one cheek in each hand.

"I somehow doubt that." Lupin chuckled, a little stricken. Zenigata had a way of riling Lupin when he spoke in that low tone. Lupin pressed a kiss to Zenigata's forehead.

"Now make love to me, would ya?" He added against the skin in a comfortable, almost casual way. It was an affectionate request filled to the brim with easy warmth and asked with the familiarity of not just the past year but all the years Lupin had known Zenigata.

The inspector leaned his head back a bit and half smiled at Lupin while wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive fashion. With no more preamble, he flipped Lupin down on the bed. Lupin was laughing again now, delighted with Zenigata's playful attitude.

  
Zenigata woke bright and early as was his custom. Princess Margarita had been very blasé on the concept of further investigation when it came to the matter of her and her new husband's wedding bands but Zenigata knew that the powers that be would be looking for inquiries and statements to save face to the press if nothing else. The media may have been charmed by the daring and romance of the debacle but it certainly didn't help with the reputation of Madrid's police force and for that matter ICPO and Zenigata himself.

He had no clue what would be waiting for him when he made it to the Royal Palace. How young Prince Cordero would wake up with the missing wedding bands pressed into his little fist or how he would come bounding into his parents room, cheering about the thief coming back and brandishing the wedding rings as well as a yo-yo he insisted was magic as well as the accompanying card stating that the rings had done their work but didn't fit so Lupin was returning them to the capable hands of the wise prince. The chaos following what had transpired and the utter amazement and confusion Zenigata would experience when during the completely fruitless interview with Cordero, the child would insist on calling him "Mr. Knight".

Lupin would have been the bane of Zenigata's existence on a morning like this, with his troublemaking derailing Zenigata's entire duration in Spain most likely, but this morning Zenigata had woken to see something that made his heart melt. Something that made the sun seem to shine brighter through the half-open fluttering curtains. He couldn't even be dismayed at once again waking up in an empty bed, devoid of Lupin's touch. This had made it all worth it. In the softness and warmth of his bed, Zenigata looked through relaxed eyes at his hand resting placidly on the pillow Lupin had used the night before as if it had been deliberately placed there in his sleep. Around Zenigata's left ring finger, was a woven ring made of ivy.


End file.
